ERY  2F 
2D5  'AND 
ANWH2MI5SEDIT 


THE  MYSTERY  OF  THE  WOODS 


AND 


THE  MAN  WHO  MISSED  IT 


BY 

W.    H.    H.   MURRAY 

AUTHOR   OF   "  DAYLIGHT    LAND,"    "  ADVENTURES   IN  THE   WILDERNESS,"     "  HOW  JOHN 
NORTON   THB  TRAPPER   KEPT  HIS   CHRISTMAS,"   ETC. 


BOSTON : 

DEWOLFE  &  FISKE  COMPANY, 
PUBLISHERS. 


COPYRIGHT,  1891, 
BY  DE  WOLFE,  FISKE  &  Co. 


PAKT    I. 


THE  MYSTERY  OF  THE   WOODS. 


THE  MYSTERY  OF  THE  WOODS. 


PART  I. 
CHAPTER  I. 

IT  was  evening.  The  last  suggestion  of  daylight 
had  faded  out  in  the  atmosphere,  and  the  densest  gloom 
enveloped  the  mountain-sides,  and  lay  as  with  a  press- 
ure on  the  lake.  The  darkness  was  not  such  as  clouds 
make ;  it  was  not  the  darkness  of  a  veiled  sky,  of  an 
obscured  firmament,  but  of  air  possessed  through  and 
through,  and  thick  with  blackness.  A  hot  night  it 
was,  and  utterly  calm.  Not  a  movement  in  the  air ; 
not  a  movement  on  the  water ;  not  a  sound  stirred  an 
aerial  wave  overhead.  Even  the  loons  floated  through 
the  gloom  without  a  cry ;  and  the  birds  of  night, 
perched  among  the  pines,  sent  forth  neither  challenge 
nor  call. 

Amid  the  gloom  a  boat  was  moving, — moving  leis- 
urely on  as  if  he  who  guided  its  motion,  either  by 
reason  of  weariness  or  indolence  of  mood,  was  pleased 
with  easy  progress.  It  was  so  dark  that  the  old  Trap- 
per, —  for  it  was  he  who  sat  in  the  stern  of  the  boat, 
plying  with  easy  stroke  his  favorite  paddle,  —  could 
not  by  any  effort  of  sight  catch  even  the  outline  of  the 


4  ADIRONDACK  TALES. 

shores  or  discern  the  edges  of  the  islands  past  which  he 
steered.  It  was  from  instinct  rather  than  vision  that 
the  old  man  threaded  his  way  around  the  points  that 
projected  into  the  lake,  and  the  angles  of  the  islands 
that  lay  athwart  his  course.  He  was  on  his  return 
from  a  trip  of  several  days'  duration,  which  he  had 
made  to  the  south,  and  being  within  a  few  miles  of  his 
cabin  felt  no  impulse  to  hasten.  Indeed,  the  very 
warmth  of  the  night,  the  intense  darkness,  and  the 
perfectly  level  condition  of  the  water,  made  the  leis- 
urely movement  more  enjoyable.  The  still  air  was 
full  of  odors  which  the  balsams  and  cedars  along  the 
lake  shore  yielded  forth,  and  the  warm  atmosphere 
most  agreeable  to  the  senses.  He  had  reached  the 
southern  extremity  of  the  last  island  which  lay  athwart 
his  course,  and  was  withiv.  a  few  miles  of  the  bay  at 
the  head  of  which  his  cabin  stood.  Directing  the 
movement  of  his  boat  a  little  farther  out  into  the  lake, 
he  passed  along  within  a  few  rods  of  the  silent  shore. 
Thus  moving  easily  forward,  he  came  to  the  northern 
point  of  the  island,  and  as  he  passed  around  the 
extreme  projection,  he  suddenly  reversed  his  paddle 
and  brought  his  boat  to  a  stop. 

The  reason  of  this  action  was  evident.  On  the 
main  shore,  within  a  short  half  mile  of  where  he  sat, 
a  camp-fire  was  burning,  the  bright  flame  of  which 
lighted  the  dark  branches  of  the  pines  above  it,  the 
bright  stretch  of  beach  in  front,  and  sent  its  lanes  of 
light  sharply  out  into  the  gloom  that  hung  above  the 
motionless  surface  of  the  lake. 


THE  MYSTERY  OF  THE  WOODS.         5 

For  a  moment  the  old  Trapper  sat  in  his  boat  look- 
ing at  the  fire  and  the  objects  grouped  around  it ; 
evidently  men,  although  at  the  distance  he  could  not 
make  out  clearly  their  personal  appearance.  He  had 
only  left  the  lake  himself  two  days  before,  and  when 
he  left  it  there  was  no  sign  of  any  such  party's  arrival; 
no  forerunner,  as  is  often  the  case  when  a  large  party 
make  preparation  for  encampment. 

"  It  sartinly  is  a  leetle  queer  that  so  big  a  party 
should  have  come  in  without  any  notice  of  their 
comin',''  muttered  the  old  Trapper  to  himself ;  "  yis, 
it's  sartinly  a  leetle  queer,  for  I  axed  Wild  Bill  him- 
self,—  and  he  had  jest  come  through  the  Regis  waters, 
—  ef  there  was  anybody  comin'  in,  and  he  said  —  and 
I  don't  see  why  the  man,  ef  he  be  a  half  vagabond, 
should  lie  in  sech  a  matter  —  he  said  there  wasn't  a 
sign  of  a  party's  comin'  in  from  the  Canada  line  to  the 
Racquette.  No,  I  don't  believe  that  Bill  would  lie 
without  a  motive j  for  that's  agin  natur',  as  I  conceit ; 
and  sartin  it  is  that  his  eye  is  quicker  on  a  trail  than 
a  good  many  that  don't  love  the  bottle  as  much  as  Bill 
does.  And  yit,  day  afore  yisterday,  Bill  told  me  that 
there  wasn't  a  sign  of  a  party  atween  the  Canada  line 
and  the  Racquette,  where  the  crick  without  a  stone 
enters  it.  And  still  there  be  a  fire  and  there  be  men 
round  it,  half  a  dozen,  more  or  less,  and  the  big  shanty 
is  full  of  stuff  ;  and  there  be  two  small  tents,  and  there 
be  a  big  un  atween  the  other  tents  and  the  shanty. 
Lord !  I  sartinly  hope  that  they  have  brought  in  a  jestice 
of  the  peace  with  'em  and  a  Moravian  missioner,  so 


6  ADIRONDACK  TALES. 

that  they  can  start  their  settlement  in  regular  city 
fashion. 

"I  sartinly  never  expected  to  see  a  dozen  men 
campin'  on  one  p'int  in  a  lake  where  the  pups  and  me 
have  lived  half  as  many  years  and  never  seed  their 
numbers  doubled.  I  guess  I'll  paddle  in  and  say  a 
cheerful  word  to  'em,  and  let  'em  know  they  are  sorter 
welcome ;  leastwise  as  much  as  they  can  reasonably 
expect  to  be  by  a  man  who  loves  the  silence  of  the 
woods,  and  wishes  they  wa'n't  within  fifty  mile  of 
him.  Yis,  yis,"  said  the  old  man  to  himself,  as  he 
paddled  on,  "  I  conceit  jest  how  their  axes  will  sound 
to-morrer  mornin',  for  the  city  folks  use  their  axes 
without  any  jedgment.  No,  the  pups  and  me  won't 
have  much  peace  for  sartin' ;  for  atween  their  axes  and 
their  pieces  they'll  distarb  the  peace  of  natur',  and 
make  this  lake  more  like  a  Dutch  settlement  than  a 
pleasant  spot  for  a  man  of  my  years  and  gifts  to  live 
in.  Lord-a-massy  !  jest  see  that  chap  throw  on  the 
wood,  as  ef  it  didn't  take  the  Lord  a  hundred  year  to 
grow  them  sticks.  And  here  the  air  is  hot  enough  to 
smother  ye.  And  I've  sartinly  heerd  the  mutter 
of  thunder  west  of  the  mountain  twice  already  sence 
I  turned  the  island's  p'int.  And  ef  the  Lord  don't 
talk  to  'em  afore  mornin'  in  a  way  that  will  make  'em 
shake,  it'll  be  because  he's  got  careless  himself  techin' 
the  wasteful  ways  of  them  that  he  permits  to  use  the 
things  he  has  growed." 

As  the  Trapper  had  said,  one  of  the  six  men  that 
sat  round  the  fire  had  risen,  and  after  throwing  on 


THE  MYSTERY  OF  THE  WOODS.        7 

several  armfuls  of  pine  logs  —  quarterings  from  a  huge 
trunk  that  lay  stretched  within  twenty  feet  of  the 
blaze  —  had  rejoined  the  group,  which,  on  rising,  he 
had  left.  The  old  Trapper,  in  the  mean  time,  was 
paddling,  with  rather  rapid  motion,  in :  and  by  the 
time  that  the  flames  had  reached  that  degree  of 
brightness  to  reveal  minutely  the  surroundings,  the 
earnestness  of  his  stroke  had  brought  him  within 
twenty  rods  of  the  beach.  It  was  not  in  accordance 
with  the  habits  of  the  man  to  run  a  boat  in  carelessly 
upon  a  party  unknown  to  him ;  and  while  for  the  last 
twenty  rods  of  his  progress  he  had  continued  to  ply 
his  paddle  with  regulated  motions,  his  eyes  had  been 
scanning  with  intent  earnestness  every  object  in  and 
about  the  camp  that  he  was  so  rapidly  nearing.  Nor 
had  his  mind  been  less  active  than  his  eye.  By  the 
time  that  he  had  reached  the  distance  we  have  men- 
tioned, enough  of  the  camp  and  its  occupants  had 
come  within  his  observation  to  reveal  to  him  the  fact 
that  it  was  no  ordinary  party  of  sportsmen  or  pleasure 
seekers  that  composed  it :  and  with  this  conclusion  the 
old  Trapper  had  again  brought  his  boat  to  a  stop,  and 
with  the  trained  sight  of  an  experienced  scout,  sharp- 
ened, to  say  the  least,  by  intent  curiosity,  he  was 
studying  its  every  detail.  And  this  is  what  the  old 
Trapper  saw  : 

A  level  stretch  of  water  edging  itself  against  the 
bright  beach,  whose  soft  yellow  sands  swept  their  easy 
ascent  up  some  forty  feet,  till  they  came  to  the  roots 
of  the  great  pines  that  grew  upon  the  mossy  border  of 


8  ADIRONDACK  TALES. 

the  upland.  Amid  the  pines  a  cleared  opening,  a  dozen 
rods,  perhaps,  in  diameter.  On  the  beach  were  boats ; 
above,  a  camp-fire  of  generous  size,  as  we  have  de- 
scribed ;  on  the  water-side  two  men  were  sitting  on  a 
log  with  their  backs  to  the  lake ;  beyond  the  fire  a 
shanty  made  of  bark,  with  twenty  feet  front ;  in  the 
shanty  three  men  were  playing  cards  —  playing  as  men 
play  when  under  great  excitement,  perhaps  the  excite- 
ment of  liquor  j  for  they  were  noisy,  and  oaths  were 
not  infrequent.  Back,  and  a  little  to  the  right  of  the 
shanty,  was  a  large  tent  whose  canvas  door  —  if  door 
it  had — was  closely  tied.  The  flame  of  the  fire  brought 
it  into  bright  relief.  In  the  rear  of  the  tent  were  two 
smaller  tents;  one  pitched  a  little  to  the  right,  the 
other  a  little  to  the  left  of  it.  In  front  of  the  large 
tent,  half-hidden  in  shadow,  the  old  Trapper's  quick 
eye  detected  the  form  of  a  man  reclining  —  perhaps 
asleep.  A  little  to  the  left  of  the  camp-fire,  resting  on 
logs,  with  one  end  against  the  roots  of  a  tree,  was  a 
small  barrel,  and  on  it  a  tin  cup.  While  the  old  Trap- 
per was  noting  the  scene  in  front  of  him,  one  of  the 
players  left  the  game,  and  going  to  the  cask  filled  the 
tin  cup  from  its  contents  and  drank  it,  then  returned 
and  with  a  dreadful  oath  reseated  himself  at  the  game. 

The  men  were  all  heavily  bearded  and  as  heavily 
armed ;  for  in  the  belt  of  each  was  a  knife ;  and  sus- 
pended from  the  roof  of  the  shanty,  the  old  Trapper's 
eye  caught  the  dull  gleam  of  rifle  barrels  and  burnished 
pistol  stocks. 

For  ten  full  minutes,  perhaps,  the  old  Trapper  sat 


THE  MYSTERY  OF  THE  WOODS.         9 

studying  the  scene  in  front  of  him ;  and  it  must  be  con- 
fessed that  the  more  he  noted  the  party  the  more  was 
he  surprised  at  their  appearance.  He  even  moved  his 
boat  to  different  points  that  he  might  the  more  per- 
fectly study  the  encampment  from  different  angles  of 
vision. 

"  I've  seed  a  good  many  queer  camps,"  said  the  old 
man  to  himself,  "  yis,  I've  seed  a  good  many  queer 
camps ;  for  I  have  seed  them  who  call  themselves 
sportsmen  come  in  from  the  settlements  to  the  woods 
to  riot,  and  to  shame  the  beasts  with  their  drinkin' ; 
and  that  barrel  there  sartinly  p'ints  in  that  direction. 
I  run  acrost  a  camp  of  gamblers  once,  on  the  Grass 
River,  and  they  sartinly  was  as  nigh  the  devil's  own 
children  as  the  Lord  can  permit  on  the  arth  if  he 
takes  any  notice  of  right  and  wrong,  and  what  is  decent 
and  sober-like.  Up  in  the  fur  country  I've  seed  the 
off-scourin'  of  the  arth,  and  I  sartinly  did  my  part  to 
help  the  Lord  out  in  his  managin'  of  the  scamps.  But 
here  be  a  party  that  I  can't  understand  —  no,  the  signs 
isn't  plain  about  that  camp  yender.  It  may  be  that 
they  are  only  city  chaps  that  have  come  into  the  woods 
to  carouse,  and  their  knives  and  their  pistols  be  only 
for  show,  and  their  keerd  playin'  only  in  sport ; 
although  by  the  way  they're  talkin'  I  should  sartinly 
jedge  they  was  gittin'  considerably  in  arnest.  But " 
—  and  the  old  man  started  his  boat  straight  toward 
the  beach  —  "I'll  go  in  and  speak  'em  fair,  whoever 
they  may  be,  and  give  'em  a  kind  of  cheerful  welcome. 
Yis,  I'll  act  as  man  should  act  toward  his  fellow-bein's 


10  ADIRONDACK  TALES. 

in  the  woods,  and  perhaps  they'll  take  a  little  jedicious 
advice  from  a  man  who  has  lived  twice  their  number 
of  years,  and  has  arnt  the  right  to  give  counsel  to  them 
that  be  younger.  Yis,  I'll  go  in  and  see  who  they  be 
anyway." 

So  saying,  the  old  Trapper  started  for  the  beach. 

It  may  have  been  merely  the  result  of  long  habit ;  it 
may  have  been  the  result  of  intention  born  from  the 
feeling  of  uncertainty  touching  the  character  of  the 
camp  into  which  he  was  going ;  but  from  whatever 
cause  the  result  may  have  proceeded,  he  could  not 
have  ambushed  a  camp  of  enemies  with  greater  skill 
or  laid  his  light  boat  up  more  noiselessly  against  the 
soft  sands  of  the  beach.  Indeed,  he  did  not  allow  it 
to  touch  the  sands  at  all ;  but  before  the  water  shal- 
lowed to  that  extent  which  forbade  progress,  he  lifted 
himself  from  his  seat  with  the  steady  poise  and  balance 
of  a  perfect  boatman,  and  with  his  rifle  in  his  left  hand, 
and  with  the  finger  of  his  right  resting  upon  the  rim 
of  his  boat,  he  stepped  noiselessly  into  the  water ;  and 
with  the  easiest  of  motion  lifted  the  bow  of  the  boat 
gently  up  and  laid  it  noiselessly  upon  the  soft  beach. 
Standing  within  fifty  feet  of  the  fire  he  paused  a 
moment  and  steadily  looked  the  camp  over. 

Had  it  not  been  for  the  position  of  those  that  occu- 
pied it,  he  could  not  have  been  unobserved ;  for  the 
fire  brought  his  stalwart  form  into  full  view.  But 
those  who  were  within  the  shanty  were  too  much  in- 
terested in  their  exciting  game  to  notice  any  one 
beyond  their  circle;  the  two  men  sitting  by  the  fire 


THE  MYSTERY  OF  THE  WOODS.        11 

were  so  seated  that  their  backs  were  directly  toward 
the  Trapper ;  while  the  huge  form  that  lay  stretched 
in  front  of  the  large  white  tent  suggested  that  it 
belonged  to  one  who  was  fast  asleep. 

For  a  moment  the  Trapper  thus  stood ;  and  then  his 
moccasined  feet  began  to  move  slowly  and  noiselessly 
up  the  sand.  Perhaps  it  was  only  habit  quickened  by 
the  memory  of  some  more  perilous  venture  in  the  years 
past ;  perhaps  it  was  the  suggestion  of  some  lurking 
humor  that  made  him  move  as  carefully  upon  the  men 
as  if  they  were  his  foes,  and  his  own  safety  lay  in  get- 
ting them  within  easy  sweep  of  his  rifle  stock.  No 
matter  from  what  cause,  his  approach  was  so  noiseless 
that  far  more  trained  ears  than  those  in  that  camp 
would  have  been  unable  to  catch  the  light  step  as  it 
moved  up  the  yielding  sand  and  trod  softly  forward 
over  the  pine-tasselled  ground.  He  approached  within 
a  yard  of  the  two  men  sitting  with  their  backs  toward 
him  on  the  log,  when  again  he  paused,  and,  standing 
as  erect  as  a  statue  and  as  motionless,  scanned  the 
unusual  scene.  His  countenance  showed  that  he  was 
not  entirely  satisfied  with  the  character  of  the  company 
into  whose  midst  he  had  stolen ;  for  in  the  expression 
of  his  face  a  look  of  amusement  was  blended  with 
intense  curiosity,  while  the  least  shade  of  suspicion 
looked  out  of  his  eyes  and  played  like  a  variable 
shadow  over  his  features. 

It  was  while  he  was  thus  standing  in  full  light  of 
the  rising  flame,  and  within  an  arm's  length  of  the  two 
men  sitting  on  the  log  unconscious  of  his  presence,  that 


12  ADIRONDACK  TALES. 

the  eyes  of  one  of  the  three  men  who  were  gambling  in 
the  shanty,  while  he  was  in  the  very  act  of  lifting,  with 
a  flourish,  his  last  card  into  the  air  to  play  it,  chanced, 
as  he  raised  his  head,  to  fall  directly  upon  him. 

The  shock  of  the  surprise  was  so  tremendous  that, 
for  a  moment,  animation  seemed  suspended ;  for  his 
arm  remained  lifted  in  the  air  at  that  point  he  had 
raised  it ;  his  mouth  fairly  opened  and  his  eyes  stood 
fixed  in  astonishment,  while  the  oath  he  was  uttering 
remained  half  unspoken.  His  excitement  with  electric 
swiftness  communicated  itself  to  his  two  companions. 
They  wrenched  themselves  round  on  their  stools  and, 
with  the  look  of  terror  on  their  swarthy  faces,  stared 
as  fixedly  as  had  their  companion  at  the  figure  before 
them. 

It  was  at  this  moment,  and  utterly  unconscious  of 
his  companions'  excitement  and  of  the  presence  of  the 
man  who  stood  within  arm's  reach  of  him,  that  one  of 
the  men  on  the  log  rose  to  his  feet  and  turned  abruptly 
round,  yawning,  as  he  turned,  toward  the  lake.  Few 
men  could  have  borne  the  shock  in  silence,  at  least  his 
nerves  were  unable  to  bear  up  against  the  surprise ;  for 
as  his  eyes  met  the  eyes  of  the  Trapper,  out  of  his 
mouth  came  a  yell  such  as  only  can  be  given  in  extreme 
terror;  while  in  his  effort  to  jump  aside  he  actually 
tumbled  over  his  companion  and  both  rolled  upon  the 
ground. 

But  certainly  there  was  nothing  at  which  to  be  fright- 
ened in  the  look  of  the  Trapper's  face ;  for,  instead  of 
being  the  countenance  of  one  bent  on  deadly  work,  it 


THE  MYSTERY  OF  THE  WOODS.        13 

was  the  countenance  of  one  lightened  with  humor  even 
unto  laughter. 

"  I  ax  yer  pardin,"  said  the  Trapper,  speaking  to  the 
two  men  who  had  been  sitting  on  the  log,  and  who 
were  picking  themselves  up  from  the  earth ;  "  I  ax  yer 
pardin  fur  comin'  on  ye  so  sudden  like,  but "  — 

"  What  right  had  you,"  exclaimed  the  man  who  had 
tumbled  over  his  companion,  "  what  right  had  you  — 
damn  you!  —  to  come  stealing  up  like  a  sneak  on  a 
man  sitting  by  his  own  fire  in  that  way  ?  " 

"  Lord-a-massy,  friend,  ye  needn't  be  so  arnest  about 
the  matter.  There's  no  great  damage  done,  anyway, 
as  I  can  see.  Ye  sartinly  did  make  a  pretty  lively 
jump,  but  ye  be  young  yit,  and  a  jump  more  or  less 
don't  hurt  a  man,  as  I  conceit.  And  as  for  stealin'  up 
on  ye,  I  did  ambush  ye  a  leetle,  that's  a  fact ;  but  it's 
only  because  it  sorter  comes  nateral  to  one  whose  moc- 
casins larnt  the  ways  of  a  trail  in  the  old  wars  to  step 
sorter  easy  like,  but  it  may  be  I  should  have  hailed  ye 
and  come  in  more  noisy ;  an'  ef  my  comin'  has  dis- 
tarbed  ye  any,  I'm  sorry  for  it,  and  ax  yer  pardin, 
although  I  meant  no  evil.  No,  I  sartinly  meant  no 
evil." 

By  this  time  the  three  men  who  had  been  gambling 
in  the  shanty  had  joined  the  two  by  the  fire,  and  they 
were  now  standing  in  a  group  fronting  him,  staring 
with  lowering  faces  at  the  intruder. 

"  What  right  have  you  to  come  into  this  camp,  any- 
way, without  an  invitation?"  said  one  of  the  men, 
determinedly. 


14  ADIRONDACK  TALES. 

"  Right  to  come  into  a  camp ! "  rejoined  the  Trapper. 
"  Who  hasn't  the  right  to  come  into  a  camp  in  peace 
time  ?  and  this  is  sartinly  in  peace  time.  And  as  for 
an  invitation,  as  ye  call  it,  ye  must  be  a  stranger  to  the 
woods  not  to  know  that  a  camp-fire  itself  is  an  invite 
for  any  man  that  passes  to  come  in  and  warm  himself 
ef  he  be  cold,  or  cook  his  venison  ef  he  be  hungry,  and 
have  a  cheerful  word  with  them  that  built  it." 

"  How  do  you  know  that  you  were  wanted  here  ?  " 
retorted  the  one  who  had  constituted  himself  the 
spokesman  of  the  party. 

"  I  don't  understand  ye,"  said  the  Trapper. 

"  I  asked  you  a  plain  question,"  said  the  man,  and 
his  tones  came  out  clean-cut  as  a  knife.  "  I  asked  you 
a  plain  question,  and  if  you  can't  understand  it  perhaps 
we'll  find  a  way  to  increase  your  wits,"  and  he  tapped 
the  handle  of  his  knife  with  his  finger  significantly, 
while  the  others  laughed  insultingly. 

"  Yis,  yis,  I  understand  ye  now,"  said  the  Trapper, 
and  his  eyes  darkened  their  shade  by  a  trifle.  "I 
understand  ye  now,  young  man,  but  ye  needn't  be  so 
sassy  about  it.  I  played  the  leetle  game  ye  hinted  at 
afore  ye  was  born,  and  ye  needn't  tap  the  handle  of  yer 
knife  there  as  ef  ye  was  talkin'  to  a  lad  from  the  settle- 
ments, or  a  redskin  afore  his  face  has  knowed  the  color 
of  the  paint.  But  I  suppose  that  motion  of  yer  finger 
was  only  a  leetle  bit  of  pleasantry  on  yer  part,  young 
man." 

"Look  here,"  retorted  the  other,  "we  ain't  boys  who 
make  up  this  crowd.  There's  no  one  here  that  hasn't 


THE  MYSTERY  OF  THE  WOODS.         15 

handled  the  knife,  and  handled  it  when  it  was  red 
blade  and  handle  both.  And  now,  as  I  can  see  you 
are  a  man  accustomed  to  plain  talk,  I  might  as  well  say 
to  you  that  we  are  here  on  our  own  business,  and  this 
is  our  camp,  and  you  are  not  wanted  here,  and  the 
sooner  you  clear  out  the  better  it'll  be  for  you.  Do  you 
understand  that  ?  " 

"  Sartin,  sartin,"  answered  the  Trapper.  "  You've 
got  a  chipper  tongue  atween  yer  teeth,  young  man,  and 
ye  rather  love  to  move  it,  as  I  conceit.  Yis,  this  is  yer 
camp,  as  ye  say,  and  a  little  onsartin  kind  of  a  camp  it 
is,  too ;  for,  atween  yer  canoes,  that  I  see  was  made  in 
the  fur  country,  and  yer  gamblin',  and  yer  drinkin', 
and  yer  sassy  tongue,  and  that  big  tent  there,  that's 
big  enough  for  a  gineral,  and  hasn't  any  door  onless  it 
opens  on  the  back  side  —  which  isn't  jest  the  way  that 
folks  who  come  up  here  for  sight-seein'  pitch  their  tents 
—  and  sartin  other  signs  I  noted  as  I  stood  lookin'  at 
ye  afore  ye  seed  me,  yer  camp  is  the  most  onsartin  one 
I  ever  seed ;  and  ef  it  ain't  agin  yer  wishes,  I  would  like 
to  ax  what  sort  of  a  camp  ye've  got  here,  and  what 
game  do  ye  mean  to  strike  ?  " 

"  You'll  get  none  of  your  questions  answered  by  me," 
replied  the  man,  "  and  the  sooner  the  talking  is  ended 
the  better.  I've  told  you  that  this  was  our  camp,  and 
that  you  are  not  wanted  in  it ;  and  now,  let  me  ask,  do 
you  propose  to  leave  it  ?  " 

"Sartin,"  said  the  Trapper.  "Ef  ye'd  been  civil  in 
yer  speech  and  friendly  in  yer  acts  I  might  have  br'iled 
a  strip  of  venison  here  by  yer  fire,  and,  for  that  matter, 


16  ADIRONDACK  TALES. 

slept  with  ye  till  mornin'  jest  to  show  my  good  feelin' 
towards  ye ;  for  my  cabin  is  only  a  few  mile  away,  and 
I  can  easily  paddle  down.  But  as  ye  seem  to  be  out  of 
sorts,  and  not  over  given  to  friendliness,  and  a  leetle 
onsartin  in  yer  morals,  as  I  conceit,  I'm  parfectly  ready 
to  go ;  but  not  in  any  hurry,  young  man ;  no,  not  in  any 
hurry.  Ye  needn't  look  so  sassy  like  out  of  yer  eyes, 
for  I've  taken  the  measure  of  ye,  and,  though  ye  be  five 
to  me  one,  yit  I  don't  propose  to  go  in  any  hurry.  And 
as  ye  have  axed  me  a  question,  I'd  like  to  ax  it  back  to 
ye  ag'in.  And  the  question  I'd  like  to  ax  is,  that  when 
I  say  I  don't  intend  to  be  in  any  hurry,  ef  ye  five  chaps 
understand  me  ?  "  and  the  lines  of  the  old  man's  face 
tightened  a  trifle,  and  the  slightest  of  tremors  ran 
through  his  tone. 

The  answer  that  the  man  gave  was  what  one  would 
expect  only  from  the  most  desperate  of  characters.  The 
guns  of  the  party  were  in  the  shanty,  as  were  their 
pistols  also.  The  only  weapon  about  their  persons  was 
the  large  knife  each  carried.  As  the  Trapper  closed  his 
interrogation,  the  man  to  whom  he  especially  addressed 
it  dashed  the  knife  that  he  had  already  drawn  upon  the 
ground,  and  gave  a  spring  toward  the  shanty.  He 
gave  one  jump  and  stopped,  for  his  quick  eye  told  him 
that  the  muzzles  of  the  Trapper's  rifle  exactly  covered 
his  body,  and  that  another  jump  would  doubtless  cost 
him  his  life. 

"Yer  actions  are  not  without  reason,"  said  the 
Trapper  coolly,  "  and  ye  acted  with  jedgment  when  ye 
stopped  where  ye  was,  for  I  saw  shootin'  in  yer  eye, 


THE  MYSTE11Y  OF  THE   WOODS.  17 

a^d  when  it  comes  to  shootin',  the  quickest  trigger  gits 
the  fust  shot.  No,  no,  don't  ye  move  a  step  toward 
that  shanty,  but  come  back  to  the  spot  where  ye  started, 
and  let  me  ax  ye  a  question.  And  don't  ye  try  any  of 
yer  tricks  on  an  old  man  whose  temper  ye've  jest  a 
leetle  riled,  for  my  finger  is  inside  the  guard  and  the 
lock  works  quick ;  so  come  back  and  stand  there  where 
ye  was,  and  let  me  ax  ye  a  question." 

The  man  did  as  he  was  commanded.  Indeed  there 
was  nothing  else  for  him  to  do ;  for  his  life  lay  at  the 
mercy  of  the  man,  who,  without  moving  his  rifle  from 
the  hollow  of  his  arm,  had  nevertheless  centred  his 
body  with  the  muzzle. 

The  man  returned  to  his  place  in  the  group  by  the 
fire.  He  was  brave,  that  was  beyond  question,  and  his 
self-possession  was  perfect.  For  he  picked  the  knife 
from  the  sod  where  he  had  cast  it,  and  as  he  returned 
it  to  its  sheath,  he  looked  straight  into  the  old  man's 
eyes,  and  said  in  the  coolest  and  calmest  of  tones, — 

"  Take  the  pile,  old  man,  you  hold  the  two  bowers." 
And  the  laugh  that  he  laughed  showed  his  white  teeth 
as  lie  nodded  at  the  muzzles  of  the  double  rifle. 

"  Ye  have  axed  me  to  leave  yer  camp,"  said  the  old  man, 
after  a  moment's  pause — during  which  he  had  looked  the 
five  men  over  from  head  to  foot  —  "  ye  have  axed  me 
to  leave  yer  camp,  and  it's  only  reasonable  that  I 
should  do  as  ye  want  me  to  do.  Ye  have  said  some 
things  to  me  that  ye  oughtn't  to  have  said,  and  ye've 
been  sorter  loose  and  careless  in  yer  speech ;  but  I  sar- 
tinly  won't  hold  it  agin  ye  ef  nothin'  furder  happens, 


18  ADIRONDACK  TALES. 

for  I  wish  to  live  in  peace  with  ye  ef  it  be  possible,  for 
I've  seed  enough  of  war;  and  a  white  head  loves  a 
peaceful  pillow.  Yis,  I  come  in  peace,  and  as  there 
has  been  a  leetle  playfulness  atween  us  here,  I  would 
like  to  ax  ye  ef  I  shall  go  in  peace  ?  " 

For  a  moment  the  five  men  looked  at  each  other, 
and  at  length  the  man  whose  body  the  muzzle  of  the 
Trapper's  rifle  still  covered,  and  who  had  been  the 
spokesman  of  the  party  thus  far,  said,  — 

"  Look  here,  old  man,  we  are  here  for  a  purpose,  and 
we  are  here  under  orders.  What  our  purpose  is,  is  none 
of  your  business,  and  our  orders  are  not  to  let  a  man 
come  into  this  camp,  and  if  a  man  gets  in,  not  to  let 
him  go  out  alive ;  but  you  hold  the  bowers,  and  I,  for 
one,  surrender  the  pile.  You  go  in  peace  because  we 
can't  stop  you,  that's  all  there  is  about  it.  You  come 
once  and  you  go  once ;  but  if  you're  wise  you  won't 
try  it  again." 

"Hoot!"  said  the  Trapper,  "I've  lived  in  these 
woods  eighty  year,  off  and  on,  and  there  never  was  a 
camp  of  white  or  redskin  I  didn't  dare  enter.  And 
leetle  there  be  in  this  camp  that  my  eyes  won't  see 
afore  a  week  passes,  and  few  be  the  sounds  that  ye 
make  that  my  ears  won't  hear.  And  ef  ye've  got  any 
secret  that  ye  don't  want  an  honest  man  to  know,  and 
ef  ye've  come  in  on  any  devilment,  ye  look  to  yerselves, 
for  John  Norton  will  find  out  yer  secret,  and  fetch  ye 
up  in  yer  devilment." 

At  the  mention  of  the  old  man's  name  the  five 
started,  and  they  whispered  rapidly  to  each  other ;  and 


THE  MYSTERY  OF  THE   WOODS.  19 

it  was  evident  that  from  whatever  section  of  the  world 
they  had  come,  there  the  name  that  the  old  man  spoke 
and  the  fame  of  it  had  penetrated. 

"  Are  you  John  Norton  the  scout  ?  "  asked  the  man 
who  had  done  the  talking  for  the  group. 

"Yis,  I  be  John  Norton,"  answered  the  old  man, 
"  and  I've  did  a  good  deal  of  scoutin'  off  and  on  in  my 
life,  but  now  that  times  be  peaceful,  as  they  should  be, 
I  be  no  thin'  better  then  a  trapper.  And  now,"  contin- 
ued the  old  man,  "  as  it's  gittin'  a  leetle  late,  and  ye 
say  that  my  room  is  better  than  my  company,  I'm 
goin'  to  my  boat.  Ye  don't  look  to  me,"  said  the  old 
man  significantly,  as  he  ran  his  eye  over  the  group, 
"  ye  don't  look  to  me  as  ef  ye  had  lived  accordin'  to 
the  Lord's  app'intment,  and  I  conceit  that  a  leetle  more 
life  and  a  good  deal  more  righteousness  wouldn't  hurt 
yer  chances  at  the  jedgment.  And  ef  ye  don't  happen 
to  be  in  a  hurry  about  leavin'  the  arth,  I'd  advise  ye 
to  stand  jest  where  ye  be  while  I'm  gittin'  off  from 
yer  camp ;  for  the  light  ye  stand  in  is  a  strong  un  and 
the  sights  would  show  fine ;  and  the  two  of  ye  that 
move  first  from  the  tracks  where  ye  stand  till  ye  hear 
the  call  of  a  loon  from  the  lake,  will  go  to  the  Jedg- 
ment with  a  hole  through  yer  bodies  that  the  Lord  will 
know  at  a  glance ;  for  a  good  many  vagabonds,  as  I 
jedge  ye  to  be,  have  carried  the  size  of  my  bullets  into 
etarnity  afore  now.  So  ye  jest  stand  where  ye  be  till 
ys  hear  the  cry  of  a  loon,  onless  ye  be  in  a  hurry  to 
die." 

So  saying,  the  old  man,  with  his  head  turned  over 


20  ADIRONDACK  TALES. 

the  left  shoulder,  the  barrel  of  his  rifle  resting  in  the 
hollow  of  his  left  arm,  with  both  hammers  cocked  and 
his  finger  within  the  guard,  strode  down  to  his  boat, 
entered  it,  and  backed  it  out  into  the  lake.  The  five 
men  stood  in  their  tracks ;  suddenly  they  started,  for  out 
of  the  darkness  came  the  call  of  a  loon,  strong  and 
clear,  so  that  the  echoes,  far  up  the  mountain,  answered 
back  the  prolonged  note  through  the  gloom. 

"  Cleaned  out !  "  said  the  spokesman  of  the  party, 
as  he  turned  toward  the  shanty.  "  I  wonder  what  the 
captain  will  say  when  he  comes." 


THE  MYSTERY  OF  THE  WOODS.        21 


CHAPTER  H. 

IN  the  morning  the  Trapper  rose  at  the  usual  hour. 
It  was  his  habit  in  the  summer  time  to  rise  with  the 
sun;  and  his  custom  each  morning  after  rising,  and 
before  he  had  begun  the  morning  tasks,  to  go  and  open 
the  great  wide  door  of  his  cabin,  and,  standing  on  the 
threshold  with  uncovered  head,  look  out  upon  the  world 
as  it  stood  revealed  in  the  dewy  light  of  morning. 
We  cannot  say  what  his  thoughts  were,  but  judging  by 
the  looks  of  his  face  they  were  such  as  a  man  at  peace 
with  himself,  and  at  peace  with  his  Maker,  when  look- 
ing at  the  beautiful  works  of  His  hands  in  their  loveli- 
est phase,  might  have.  Indeed,  his  countenance  at 
such  times,  in  the  peaceful  gravity  and  grateful  happi- 
ness of  its  expression,  was  a  picture  of  so  fine  a  sort 
as  to  remain  for  years  fresh  and  unfaded  in  memory's 
hall.  If  the  day  through  the  delightful  coolness  of  its 
air,  the  cool  stretch  of  water,  the  distant  mountains, 
and  the  newly-risen  sun,  breathed  a  benediction  upon 
him,  in  the  grateful,  reverent,  and  happy  reflection  of 
his  heart,  he  seemed  to  pronounce  a  benediction  upon 
the  day ;  for,  in  the  old  man  was  that  fine  sense  of 
appreciation,  that  childlike  quality  of  greeting  any- 
thing beautiful  as  a  surprise,  that  to  his  simple  mind 
caused  each  morning  to  seem  not  merely  as  the  begin- 
ning of  a  new  day  but  a  new  beginning  of  the  world- 


22  ADIRONDACK  TALES. 

This  morning,  as  he  stood  barefooted  and  with  un- 
covered head  in  the  doorway  that  opened  toward  the 
east,  the  beauty  of  the  outward  appearance  was  so 
extraordinary  as  to  fill  his  receptive  mind  with  reverent 
wonder. 

"  The  Lord  is  sartinly  great  in  his  power,  and  great 
is  he  in  his  wisdom,"  said  the  old  man  talking  to  him- 
self, as  the  winds  of  the  morning  played  on  his  brow, 
and  the  light  of  the  rising  sun  warmed  his  features 
with  its  glow,  "for  his  devices  be  many,  and  the 
beauty  of  his  doing  bey  end  man's  thinkin'.  I  have 
lived  on  the  'arth  till  my  head  be  whitenin'  and  studied 
natur'  with  an  eye  marcifully  fitted  for  notin'  things, 
but  sartin  it  is  that  the  'arth  grows  han'somer  each 
year,  and  the  mornin's  as  they  f oiler  each  other  be 
prittier  and  prittier.  I  sartinly  hope  that  the  Lord 
has  a  nose  to  smell  the  sweet  things  he  has  made  ;  and 
that  his  ear  this  minute  hears  that  robin  as  he  strains 
his  leetle  throat  on  that  maple  out  there ;  and  he  sar- 
tinly loses  a  good  deal  ef  he  don't  come  down  off  and 
on  and  take  a  look  at  the  woods  from  the  top  of  Mount 
Seward  there,  not  to  speak  of  the  streams,  and  the 
lakes,  and  the  sunrises  and  sunsets  that  he  might  see 
from  that  p'int  ef  he  chose  the  spot  for  his  outlook 
with  jedgment.  And  there's  sartinly  some  bends  in 
the  Racquette  that  he  orter  look  at  more'n  once ;  for 
Henry  says  that  the  Racquette  is  the  han'somest  river 
in  the  world,  and  Henry  is  careful  of  speech,  and  his 
jedgment  is  good,"  and  here  the  old  man  paused  a 
moment,  and  a  yearning  look  came  into  his  face,  and 


THE  MYSTERY  OF  THE  WOODS.         23 

his  eyes  changed  their  expression  so  that,  though  open, 
they  seemed  not  to  see,  at  least,  see  nothing  nigh  ;  for 
to  them  came  a  far-away  look  as  if  their  vision  had 
overleaped  the  mountain,  and  was  stretched  to  see  the 
distant  and,  to  him,  the  unknown  world  of  cities  and 
crowding  men  beyond  their  blue  rim;  and  then  he 
said,  — 

"  May  the  Lord  forgive  the  discontent  of  my  sperit 
when  his  marcies  be  round  me  thicker  than  the  pine- 
stems  on  the  ground ;  but  I  must  own  that  I  feel  a 
leetle  lonesome  at  times,  and  the  sight  of  the  boy's 
face  would  be  sweeter  to  me  this  minit  than  the  sight 
of  the  mornin'.  It  may  not  be  right  to  have  such  feel- 
in's,  and  I  trust  the  Lord  will  look  in  marcy  on  the 
weakness  ef  he  be  displeased  at  the  cravin'.  And  I 
have  fought  agin  it,  —  yis,  I  have  fought  agin  it,  for 
fear  it  wasn't  right;  for  it's  wrong  for  mortal  man  not 
to  be  content  with  enough,  —  and  I  sartinly  have 
enough :  victals  to  eat  and  good  strong  garments,  and 
a  rod  that  the  boy  himself  gave  me,  and  a  weepou  that 
a  man  can  trust  his  life  to ;  and  the  pups  —  yis,  the 
pups  be  a  great  comfort,  —  sartinly,  I  ought  to  be  con- 
tent and  not  wish  for  anything  more,  —  leastwise,  not 
crave  it  with  yearnin'.  And  yit,  ef  I  could  hear  the 
crack  of  the  boy's  piece  a  mile  or  two  down  the  river 
this  minit,  and  know  that  he  was  actally  comin',  I 
doubt  ef  the  thought  of  all  His  goodness  —  well,  well," 
muttered  the  old  man,  as  he  turned  back  into  the 
cabin,  "sunrise  is  sunrise,  and  Henry  is  Henry,  and 
it's  the  Lord's  own  temptin'  when  he  gives  to  a  man  of 


24  ADIRONDACK  TALES. 

my  years  two  sech  boys  as  he  gin  me  :  Henry  and  the 
Lad  ; "  and  he  paused  a  moment  and  gazed  at  the  two 
picture-frames  hanging  on  the  wall,  —  the  one  filled 
with  the  portrait  of  Henry,  the  other  empty  to  all 
eyes  but  his ;  but  to  his  eyes  the  empty  frame  was 
filled  with  a  simple,  innocent,  heroic  face  that  he  and 
Henry  had  buried  under  the  pine  in  the  grave  by  the 
sea. 

Half  an  hour  later  the  old  Trapper  was  seated  at 
his  table,  enjoying  with  finest  relish  a  breakfast  which, 
in  variety  of  food,  was  limited ;  but  in  delicacy  of 
quality  would  have  satisfied  the  cultivated  taste  of  an 
epicure.  The  two  hounds  were  sitting  on  their 
haunches  at  the  end  of  the  table,  looking  at  the  eater 
with  that  most  wistful  and  imploring  of  all  looks  — 
the  look  of  a  hungry  dog. 

"  I  tell  ye,  pups,"  said  the  old  man,  as  he  stopped 
for  a  moment  in  his  eating  —  holding  between  his 
thumb  and  forefinger  a  trout  small  of  size  and  brown 
to  a  turn,  —  "I  tell  ye,  pups,  ye  ain't  more  than  half- 
mannered.  Ye  act  well  enough,  for  ye  keep  yer  places ; 
but  yer  looks  be  onusually  arnest ;  and  I  can't  take 
hold  of  a  morsel  without  yer  looking  as  ef  it  belonged 
to  ye,  and  I  was  sorter  robbin'  ye  in  eatin'  it  myself. 
Now,  Rover,  ye  ain't  rational.  "What's  the  use  of 
givin'  ye  sech  a  trout  as  that  ?  Ef  ye  swallered  it  ye 
wouldn't  know  where  'twas ;  and  a  boatload  of  sech 
fish  wouldn't  fill  ye.  I  heerd  Henry  say  one  day  that 
there  was  a  kind  of  men  down  in  the  settlements  that 
would  eat  an'  eat,  and  the  more  they'd  eat  the  thinner 


THE  MYSTERY  OF  THE    WOODS.  25 

they'd  git.  The  victals  didn't  seem  to  do  'em  any 
good ;  didn't  fill  'em  up  and  thicken  'em  out ;  and  a 
man  whose  emptiness  can't  be  filled  with  swallerin'  is  " 
—  and  here  the  old  man  paused  a  moment,  evidently 
at  fault  for  a  word.  But  human  nature  in  the  hunter's 
cabin  is  very  like  human  nature  —  well,  in  a  pulpit, 
say,  —  and  so  the  old  Trapper  backed  up  verbally  for 
a  new  start,  and,  with  an  earnestness  and  unction 
entirely  uncalled  for  by  the  exigency  of  the  case,  ex- 
claimed, as  he  flourished  the  trout,  "A  man  whose 
emptiness  can't  be  filled  by  swallerin'  is  a  miracle! 
Sartin,  sartin ! "  said  the  Trapper,  as  if  relieved.  "  Lord, 
what  things  words  be  !  and  how  they  relieve  the  feel- 
in's  when  ye  drive  'em  out  with  a  leetle  more'n  ord'nary 
arnestness ! " 

With  such  remarks,  half  serious  and  half  humorous, 
the  old  Trapper  was  accustomed  to  enliven  his  repast. 
The  hounds,  with  the  facility  of  canine  intelligence,  had 
become  entirely  familiar  with  the  programme,  and  no 
one  could  see  them  and  not  feel  that  they  had  become 
so  wonted  to  the  discourse  of  the  Trapper  as  to  give 
countenance  to  his  belief,  that,  beyond  what  is  expected 
of  their  species,  the  dogs  understood  the  drift  of  his 
remarks.  Indeed,  there  seemed  to  be  a  subtle  under- 
standing between  the  three  that  inhabited  the  cabin, 
for  more  than  one  stranger  had  noted  that  the  hounds 
shared  the  mood  of  their  master,  and  that  their  com- 
panionship rested  on  the  foundation  of  mutual  sympa- 
thy. That  the  Trapper's  belief  in  the  capacity  of  his 
canine  companions  to  understand  was  entirely  sincere, 


26  ADIRONDACK  TALES. 

no  one  who  watched  his  treatment  of  them  could  for  a 
moment  doubt. 

When  the  old  Trapper  had  finished  his  breakfast  he 
moved,  as  was  his  custom,  his  chair  back  from  the  table, 
and,  facing  round  toward  the  hounds,  proceeded  to  give 
them  their  repast.  The  dogs  took  their  position,  one 
at  either  knee,  and  with  a  decorum  which  would  have 
done  credit  to  human  members  of  a  civilized  community, 
received  their  allotted  portions,  eating  the  morsels,  as 
the  old  Trapper  fed  them  alternately,  in  grave  but 
grateful  silence. 

"  Well,  well,"  said  the  Trapper,  while  thus  deliber- 
ately feeding  his  dogs,  "  how  happy-like  it  makes  a  man 
feel  to  feed  soinethin'  that's  hungry  !  Now,  pups,  I 
don't  conceit,  knowin'  as  ye  be,  that  ye  know  the  hap- 
piness it  gives  me  to  give  ye  the  morsels  that  ye're 
swallerin'.  I  dare  say  ye  feel  happy-like  yerselves, — •• 
yis,  I  know  ye  do,  for  a  dog  can't  lie  with  his  tail,  and 
the  way  ye  be  waggin'  'em  is  sartinly  proof  that  yer 
sperits  be  peaceful,  and  yer  eyes  shine  like  the  eyes  of 
a  leetle  redskin  when  ye  give  him  a  trinket.  The 
Maker  of  the  'arth  must  sartinly  be  happy  to  see  the 
creeturs  that  he's  made  at  their  feedin'.  I've  often 
conceited  that  he  kept  his  eye  on  things  a  leetle  closer 
than  the  missioners  preach,  and  it  may  be  that  he  gits 
a  good  deal  of  his  happiness  in  makin'  the  creeturs  he 
has  made  comfortable,  and  watchin'  them  as  they  go 
about  on  their  business,  each  arter  his  natur'.  There, 
pups,  ye've  eaten  the  last  morsel,  and  ye've  had  a 
mighty  small  meal,  jedgin'  by  yer  size,  for  ye're  both 


THE  MYSTERY  OF  THE  WOODS.         27 

as  ga'nt  as  ye  was  when  I  started ;  but  I've  given  ye  a 
good  meal,  and  though  I  know  how  yer  innards  are  put 
together,  yit  I  never  could  understand  how  one  of  yer 
kind,  Rover,  could  eat  as  much  as  ye  can,  and  look  no 
bigger  arter  ye'd  eaten  than  afore  ye'd  begun.  It  may 
be,"  said  the  old  man  calculatingly,  "  it  may  be  my 
eyes  be  a  leetle  faulty,  but  I've  conceited  more'n  once, 
Rover,  that  the  more  I  fed  ye  the  ga'nter  ye  got.  I 
can  say  in  sartinty  that  I  never  seed  ye  filled  yit,  or 
turn  yer  muzzle  from  a  morsel  that  was  offered  ye." 

The  old  Trapper  cleared  away  the  dishes,  and,  after 
he  had  swept  the  floor  and  brought  a  fresh  pail  of 
water  from  the  spring,  stood  for  a  moment  in  the  centre 
of  the  cabin.  The  look  on  his  face  was  the  look  of  a 
man  engaged  in  profoundest  thought, — of  a  man  study- 
ing a  subject  that  the  more  he  studied  the  more  it 
puzzled  him.  In  a  few  moments  he  took  his  rifle  from 
the  brackets,  and  going  to  the  doorway,  he  stepped 
forth,  and,  seating  himself  on  a  bench,  called  the  dogs 
to  his  side,  and  said,  — 

"  Pups,  I  be  worried  in  my  mind.  Yis,  I  sartinly  be 
worried  nigh  on  to  frettin',  and  a  man  who  worries 
unto  frettin'  does  a  most  onrational  deed.  And  ef  ye 
want  to  know  what  it's  about,  pups,  I'll  tell  ye.  Rover, 
do  keep  yer  mouth  shet !  It  worries  me  to  see  ye  lap 
yer  chops  in  that  way.  Why  don't  ye  keep  yer  man- 
ners when  ye  be  in  council  ?  It's  that  camp  down 
there, — that  camp  on  the  p'int.  I  run  in  on  it  last 
night,  Rover,  and  though  I  used  my  eyes  in  a  jedicious 
manner,  and  seed  about  all  there  was  to  see  outside  of 


28  ADIRONDACK  TALES. 

canvas,  yit  I  am  not  sure  that  I  seed  all ;  no,  I'm  not 
sure  I  seed  all,"  repeated  the  old  man  with  emphasis. 
"  There's  too  much  tent  on  that  p'int,  pups ;  there  is 
a  good  deal  too  much  tent,"  and  here  the  old  man 
paused,  and,  taking  a  piece  of  buckskin  from  his  pocket, 
he  rubbed  the  silver  plate  on  the  cheek-piece  of  his  rifle, 
on  which  his  name  was  graven ;  and  then,  resuming,  he 
said,  — 

"  They're  a  hard  set ;  they're  a  harder  set  than  I  ever 
seed  in  the  fur  country,  them  chaps  be.  Now  I  know 
a  vagabond,  whether  he  be  half-breed,  white,  or  red- 
skin,—  that  is,  sech  vagabonds  as  we  have  in  the 
woods,  —  but  them  chaps  down  there  be  another  sort. 
I  doubt  ef  one  of  'em  could  tell  a  buck's  track  from  a 
doe.  They  don't  look  as  ef  they  was  raised  in  the 
woods.  They  look  a  good  deal  like  them  sort  of  chaps 
Henry  told  me  about.  He  said  there  was  a  kind  of 
vagabonds  in  the  cities  that  took  their  schoolin'  from 
the  devil  at  the  start,  and  growed  into  wickedness  as 
they  growed  into  strength ;  larnt  themselves  all  evil 
ways,  and  didn't  fear  God  nor  man,"  and  here  the  old 
man  paused  again,  and  taking  the  caps  from  the  ham- 
mers, he  wiped  the  tubes  with  the  buckskin  rag.  "  And 
I  sartinly  conceit,"  resumed  the  old  man,  as  if  he  had 
not  lost  his  thread  of  thought,  "  that  them  vagabonds 
be  city  vagabonds,  and  a  sassy  set  they  be,  too.  And 
the  chap  that  drawed  his  knife  on  me  drawed  it  as  ef 
he'd  drawed  it  a  good  many  times,  and  acted  jest  as  ef 
he'd  used  it  a  good  many  times.  And  he  had  a  quick 
eye,  too,  and  a  sort  of  a  rational  way  with  him,  for  he 


THE  MYSTERY  OF  THE   WOODS.  29 

wasn't  long  in  finding  out  that  I'd  covered  him  when 
he  jumped ;  and  he  sartinly  stopped  at  the  right  p'int, 
for  ef  he  had  taken  another  jump  I'd  opened  daylight 
through  him.  Brave  ?  Yis,  he's  brave  and  he's  cool, 
and  a  man  that  faces  that  chap  on  equal  tarms  would 
have  to  do  pritty  quick  work  to  save  his  life,  as  I  jedge. 

"  How  did  they  git  in  ?  "  said  the  Trapper,  after  a 
moment's  pause  ;  "  I  see  by  yer  eye,  Rover,  that  ye 
think  some  one  guided  'em  in,  and  ye' re  right ;  and 
whoever  guided  them  chaps  in,  knowed  enough  to 
wash  his  trail  clean  out  on  the  carries,  for  Wild  Bill 
said  that  there  wasn't  a  sign  of  a  party  in  all  the  north 
country.  And  the  question  comes  up,  who  was  cap' en 
of  that  gang  ?  for  he  must  be  the  man  that  guided  'em 
in  ;  "  and  here  the  old  man  paused  again,  and  placing 
a  couple  of  caps  on  the  tubes  of  his  rifle,  he  raised  it  to 
his  eye  and  fired.  The  smoke  cleared  in  an  instant, 
and  the  report  of  the  left  barrel  followed  the  right. 

"I  thought  it  would,"  said  the  trapper  to  himself, 
"  for  it's  been  loaded  a  week,  and  the  fog  was  heavy 
as  I  come  through  the  Chain  of  the  Lakes.  Yis,  that 
left  barrel  barnt  a  leetle  slow,  and  the  hole  is  bigger 
by  half  the  width  of  the  lead  than  it  ought  to  be.  It 
isn't  much ;  no,  it  isn't  much ;  the  half  the  width  of 
a  bullet  at  fifty  paces,  but  it's  more  by  half  a  bullet 
than  it  would  be  ef  the  powder  had  been  perfectly  dry. 
I  won't  drive  home  another  bullet  till  I  have  taken  the 
breech  pins  out  and  made  the  barrels  shine,  for  there's 
no  tellin'  what's  ahead;  no,  pups,  there's  no  tellin' 
what's  ahead ;  and  ef  they  should  git  sassy,  down 


30  ADIRONDACK  TALES. 

there  on  the  p'int,  and  Henry  be  late  in  comin'  in,  it 
may  be  that  lead  will  be  flyin'  round  here  afore  a 
week ; "  and  then,  as  a  graver  expression  came  over 
the  old  man's  face,  he  said  :  — 

"  I  hope  not ;  I  sartinly  hope  not ;  for  ef  they  should 
try  to  play  any  of  their  pranks  on  me  there' d  be  close 
work  round  the  shores  of  this  lake,  for  they  be  five  to 
my  one ;  and  the  leader  of  the  gang  wasn't  there  last 
night,  for  sartin." 

An  hour  later,  the  old  Trapper  had  finished  cleaning 
his  rifle,  and  standing  in  the  spot  where  we  left  him 
soliloquizing  he  was  in  the  act  of  loading.  Even  an 
ordinary  observer  would  have  noticed  that  he  paid 
more  than  average  attention  to  the  charging;  and 
when  the  act  was  accomplished  he  lifted  it  to  his 
cheek  and  ran  his  eye  through  the  sights.  And  then 
dropping  the  barrel  into  the  hollow  of  his  left  arm,  he 
gazed  for  a  moment  out  upon  the  lake,  and  muttered 
to  himself :  — 

"I'll  ambush  that  camp  to-night;  there's  deviltry 
somewhere  there  for  sartin.  Ef  I  knew  who  the 
leader  was,  the  riddle  would  be  half  guessed.  And 
then  there's  that  big  tent  with  no  door  to  it,  leastwise 
none  that  opens  toward  the  lake,  as  it  oughter  ef 
it  be  a  pleasure  tent.  And  the  question  arises,  what's 
in  that  tent  ?  Why  be  they  so  skeered  that  an  honest 
man  should  come  into  their  camp  ?  Why  be  they  in 
sech  a  hurry  to  git  him  out  ?  Why  do  they  draw  a 
knife  on  a  man  because  he  axes  a  question  ?  Lord  !  " 
said  the  old  man,  "  what  good  things  habits  be.  Now 


THE  MYSTERY  OF  THE  WOODS.         31 

ef  I'd  left  my  rifle  down  in  the  boat,  and  that  chap  had 
drawed  the  knife  on  me,  there  would  have  been  a 
scrimmage  sure  as  jedgment;  but  I  lined  him  as  he 
jumped,  and  that  helped  things  toward  peace.  No 
man's  a  right  to  leave  his  gun  in  the  boat  when  he 
goes  into  a  strange  camp  ef  he  wants  to  have  a 
peaceable  time. 

"  Then  there  was  a  man  in  front  of  that  tent ;  I 
seed  him ;  and  when  the  talkin'  got  arnest  why  didn't 
he  come  down  and  jine  in  ?  He  acted  a  good  deal  as  ef 
he  was  put  there  to  stay ;  and  a  man  don't  do  sentinel 
duty  in  front  of  an  empty  tent.  I  tell  ye,"  said  the 
old  man,  and  he  brought  his  fist  down  into  the  open 
palm  of  his  other  hand,  "  I  tell  ye  there's  somethin'  in 
that  tent,  and  John  Norton  will  find  out  what  it  is,  ef 
the  clouds  be  thick  to-night." 

The  clouds  were  thick  at  night,  thick  as  nature 
could  pile  above  the  earth.  The  darkness  was  of  the 
kind  that  could  be  felt.  It  was  just  the  night  the  Trap- 
per would  have  wished  in  which  to  attempt  the  deed 
he  was  about  to  do.  In  the  bottom  of  the  boat  he  had 
spread  a  blanket.  On  the  blanket  he  placed  his  rifle, 
and  by  its  side  an  extra  paddle.  Thus,  perfectly  pre- 
pared for  the  work  he  was  to  do,  the  old  Trapper 
entered  the  boat,  and  shoving  off,  started  up  the  lake. 

In  less  than  an  hour's  time,  he  reached  the  vicinity 
of  the  camp.  But  instead  of  there  being  a  large,  clear 
flame  rising  upward,  the  camp-fire  was  of  very  moder- 
ate dimensions,  scarcely  lighting  the  interior  of  the 


32  ADIRONDACK  TALES. 

shanty,  and  only  bringing  dimly  into  view  the  three 
neighboring  tents. 

"  The  vagabonds  larn  a  lesson  quick,"  said  the  Trap- 
per to  himself.  "  A  jedicious  hint  about  the  big  fire, 
and  the  way  in  which  it  helped  a  man  to  draw  on  'em, 
has  sartinly  larnt  them  economy  techin'  the  use  of 
wood.  But  ef  a  low  fire  sarves  them,  it  sartinly 
sarves  me ;  for  I  can  lay  myself  up  within  fifty  feet 
of  the  beach,  and  onless  their  eyes  be  better  than  I 
think,  they  won't  know  what  eyes  be  on  'em,  and  what 
ears  be  listenin'  to  'em.  They'll  have  to  talk  a  good 
deal  lower  than  they  did  the  other  night,  ef  they  don't 
want  to  be  heared  by  the  man  they  treated  onreason- 
ably  the  fust  time  he  called  on  'em." 

Talking  thus  to  himself  he  moved  his  boat  in  to- 
ward the  beach.  He  doubled  the  point  that  stretched 
out  to  the  right  of  the  camp,  and  inspected  it  as  well 
as  he  could  in  the  dim  light,  from  the  further  side. 

Little  was  to  be  seen  beyond  what  he  had  already 
seen.  The  camp  was  nearly  hidden  in  the  darkness, 
and  only  a  murmur  of  voices  came  to  his  ears.  He 
moved  his  boat  round  to  the  front  again,  and  laid  it  up 
almost  against  the  sands  of  the  beach.  Indeed,  it  was 
not  ten  feet  from  the  beach  when  he  brought  it  to  a 
stand,  and  sat  straining  his  ears  to  catch  the  murmur- 
ing conversation ;  but  strive  never  so  hard,  he  could 
not  make  out  what  they  were  saying.  He  heard  his 
own  name  mentioned  twice,  and  one  or  two  oaths  came 
to  him  distinctly ;  but,  beyond  this,  his  efforts  were 
unavailing ;  and  had  it  not  been  for  a  sudden  and 


THE  MYSTERY  OF  THE  WOODS.         33 

unexpected  occurrence,  he  would  have  backed  his  boat 
from  that  beach  into  deeper  waters,  no  wiser  as  to  the 
character  or  plans  of  the  party,  no  wiser  as  to  their 
leader's  name,  and  no  wiser  as  to  the  contents  of  the 
big  tent  than  when  he  came.  But  something  did 
happen,  —  happen  suddenly;  happened  in  a  way  that 
would  have  proved  fatal  to  a  man  of  less  experience 
and  fertility  of  resource  than  was  the  Trapper. 

The  Trapper  had  left  the  stern  of  his  boat,  and  step- 
ping softly  along  the  blanket  that  lay  stretched  on  the 
bottom,  was  now  kneeling  at  the  forward  end,  —  kneel- 
ing, with  his  left  hand  laid  on  the  gunwale  and  his 
paddle  grasped  in  his  right  struck  into  the  sands  by 
which  to  steady  himself  as  he  kneeled,  bent  forward,  in 
the  attitude  of  listening.  As  he  thus  knelt,  with  his 
body  projecting  forward,  and  all  his  senses  strained  to 
the  utmost  tension,  fastened  on  the  camp  and  its  occu- 
pants barely  fifty  feet  in  front  of  him,  another  boat, 
moving  as  noiselessly  as  had  his  and  more  rapidly,  from 
the  lake  toward  the  beach,  struck  his  fair  in  the  end, 
and  out  of  a  man's  mouth,  not  twenty  feet  back  of  him, 
tore  a  frightful  oath. 

It  was  well  for  the  Trapper  that  he  was  kneeling 
and  well  braced  when  his  boat  received  the  shock,  or 
he  would  have  been  pitched  forward  on  to  the  sanded 
beach.  The  instant  that  the  oath  sounded  in  the  dark- 
ness back  of  him,  the  camp  was  in  an  uproar.  The 
men  who  had  been  sitting  in  the  shanty,  only  partially 
revealed  by  the  light,  poured  out  and  started  toward 
the  water's  edge. 


34  ADIRONDACK  TALES. 

"  What  the  devil,"  said  the  voice  back  of  the  Trap- 
per, "  do  you  fellows  mean  to  leave  a  boat  loose  for  a 
man  to  run  against  in  the  dark,  when  he  comes  into 

4  " 

camp : 

"There  is  no  boat  there,  captain,"  said  one  of  the 
men,  speaking  up  sharply.  "  The  canoes  are  all  hauled 
up  on  the  beach  as  you  left  orders." 

"What  do  you  mean,"  exclaimed  the  man  with 
another  dreadful  imprecation,  "  what  do  you  mean  to 
tell  any  such  stuff  as  that  to  me  ?  Don't  you  suppose  I 
know  a  boat  when  I've  got  my  hand  on  it  ?  If  you're 
drunk  I'm  not.  Come  here  with  a  li " 

He  never  finished  the  word,  for  the  sound  he  had 
started  to  form  ended  in  a  gurgle.  The  Trapper  had 
not  been  idle.  The  shock  had  not  dislodged  him,  and 
he  knew  from  whence  it  came  and  the  cause  of  it. 
With  a  quickness  and  coolness  which  had  made  his 
name  famous,  the  instant  the  incoming  boat  struck,  he 
shoved  the  end  of  his  own,  in  which  he  was  sitting, 
around,  describing  a  half  circle ;  shoved  it  round 
steadily,  firmly,  and  quickly,  until  it  was  lying  side 
by  side  with  the  other,  and  he  himself  sitting  within 
arm's  reach  of  the  new-comer ;  and  as  he  called  for  a 
light,  even  when  the  words  were  on  his  lips,  the  Trap- 
per's hand  clutched  his  throat  and  the  strong  fingers 
settled  into  the  flesh  of  the  neck  like  the  clasp  of  a 
vise. 


THE  MYSTERY  OF  THE  WOODS.         35 


CHAPTER 

FOR  a  moment  the  fingers  kept  their  hold.  The 
man  writhed  and  struck  out  once  or  twice  wildly  with 
his  arms.  His  paddle,  that  he  had  lifted,  dropped  from 
his  relaxing  fingers  and  fell  noisily  into  the  bottom  of 
the  boat,  and  then  his  body  wilted  down  in  a  heap ; 
and  the  Trapper,  loosening  his  grip,  pushed  the  limp 
form  forward  that  it  might  not  fall  into  the  lake,  and 
then  placing  the  end  of  his  paddle  against  the  body  of 
the  man  as  it  lay  stretched  in  the  bottom  of  the  boat, 
he  shoved  his  own  out  noiselessly  into  the  darkness. 

Nor  did  he  act  a  minute  too  quick,  for  the  camp-fire 
kindling  suddenly  in  answer  to  a  piece  of  pitchy  pine 
that  had  been  flung  into  it  by  one  of  the  men,  as  the 
captain's  call  sounded,  shot  a  bright  flame  suddenly 
upward,  revealing  the  two  boats  at  the  edge  of  the 
beach  —  the  one  with  their  captain  lying  as  if  dead  in 
the  bottom,  and  the  other  with  the  form  of  the  Trapper 
in  the  very  act  of  shoving  away ;  and  on  the  instant  a 
rifle  ripped  its  explosion  out,  and  a  bullet  cut  the  sleeve 
of  the  old  Trapper's  shirt  as  his  elbows  were  lifted  in 
the  act  of  pushing  off. 

"  I  knowed  the  vagabond,"  said  the  Trapper  to  him- 
self, as  he  brought  his  boat  to  a  stand-still  forty  rods 
out  in  the  lake ;  "  yis,  I  knowed  the  vagabond  the 
minit  I  heerd  his  voice  $  and  I  trust  the  Lord  will  for- 


36  ADIRONDACK  TALES. 

give  me  that  I  didn't  pinch  him  a  leetle  harder.  For 
his  doin's  be  the  doin's  of  Satan,  and  it's  time  that  his 
devilments  come  to  an  eend.  Ye  may  hoot  and  ye  may 
yell,"  he  continued,  alluding  to  the  uproar  in  the  camp 
caused  by  the  gang's  discovery  of  their  leader  stretched 
limp  and  lifeless  in  the  bottom  of  the  boat,  "but  I 
advise  ye  to  mix  a  leetle  rubbin'  with  yer  hootin',  or 
ye  won't  bring  him  to ;  for  memories  got  into  my 
fingers  as  they  sot  on  to  his  neck,  and  they  tightened 
the  grip  a  good  deal  bey  end  playfulness.  I  guess  I'll 
paddle  in  and  hear  what  the  vagabonds  be  sayin' ;  for 
a  man  is  apt  to  let  out  in  his  wrath  what  he's  hid  in  his 
coolness ;  and  it  may  be  that  amid  their  swearin'  I'll 
git  some  useful  knowledge  of  what  they're  up  to.  And 
ef  there's  any  more  boats  runnin'  agin  me  ther'll  be 
somethin'  more  than  pinchin'  done  ;  for  an  honest  man 
can't  stand  everything  ef  it  be  peace  time." 

So  saying  the  old  man  paddled  in,  curving  to  the 
right  that  he  might  bring  his  boat  beyond  the  range  of 
the  firelight  into  the  shadow  of  a  heavy  pine  that  stood 
a  few  yards  to  the  left  of  the  flame.  It  was  a  danger- 
ous experiment,  and  to  one  of  less  skill  and  courage, 
the  attempt  would  have  been  hazardous  in  the  ex- 
treme ;  but  he  was  at  home  in  the  work  he  was  at,  and 
the  training  of  a  lifetime  passed  amid  peril  fitted  him 
for  the  endeavor.  In  less  than  two  minutes  his  light 
boat  was  again  within  twenty  feet  of  the  beach,  and 
with  his  rifle  resting  against  his  knee  and  both  ham- 
mers cocked,  the  old  man  again  sat  in  the  attitude  of 
listening. 


THE  MYSTERY  OF  THE   WOODS.  37 

The  scene  around  the  fire  was  a  most  extraordinary 
one.  The  captain  of  the  gang  lay  stretched  on  the 
ground,  his  head  lifted  in  the  lap  of  one  of  the  men, 
while  the  others,  kneeling  around  him,  were  engaged 
in  chafing  his  limbs  and  exercising  their  rude  skill  in 
their  attempt  to  restore  him  to  consciousness.  In  a 
few  moments  they  succeeded ;  for  the  man  struggled 
to  his  feet,  and  drawing  his  knife,  while  yet  too  weak 
to  stand  steady,  glared  into  one  dark  visage  after 
another,  with  a  ferocity  of  expression  frightful  to 
behold.  His  weakness  and  ungovernable  rage  for  a 
moment  kept  him  silent,  while  his  eyes  seemed  search- 
ing for  a  breast  into  which  to  drive  his  knife.  At 
length,  as  reason  gained  its  control,  he  drove  the  blade 
into  the  sheath,  while  with  a  voice  that  actually  trem- 
bled and  choked  with  passion,  he  exclaimed,  — 

"Who  are  you  that  allow  a  man  to  ambush  your 
camp  and  strangle  your  leader  within  fihy  feet  of  your 
fire  ?  Have  you  no  eyes  nor  ears,  that  on  such  a  job 
as  we  have  on  our  hands,  and  left  in  charge  as  I  left 
you,  you  allow  an  enemy  to  bring  his  boat  to  the  very 
sands  of  the  beach,  while  you  doze  in  your  camp  like 
boys  on  a  pleasure  trip  ?  " 

"  Easy,  easy,  captain,"  said  the  man  who  had  been 
the  spokesman  of  the  party  the  night  before,  when  the 
Trapper  paid  them  a  visit,  "  easy,  captain,  our  eyes  and 
ears  may  not  be  as  good  as  yours  in  the  woods,  but 
only  one  man  has  come  into  the  camp  since  we  struck 
this  point." 

"  Where  is  his  body  ?  "  shouted  the  leader.     "  Were 


38  ADIRONDACK  TALES. 

not  your  orders  to  prevent  one  coming  in ;  or  if  one 
came,  to  prevent  his  going  out?" 

"  Your  orders  were  all  right,  captain ;  but  orders  are 
one  thing  and  carrying  them  out  is  another.  But  the 
man  who  came  in  didn't  tell  us  he  was  coming,  and 
the  first  that  we  knew  he  was  standing  by  the  fire 
here." 

"  Why  didn't  you  kill  him  where  he  stood  ? " 
shouted  the  leader. 

"Easily  asked  and  easily  answered/'  replied  the 
man.  "  The  man  who  stood  by  the  fire  had  a  rifle, 
while  we  had  nothing  but  knives  ;  and  knives  are  one 
thing  and  a  rifle  is  another,  especially  if  the  man  who 
holds  it  knows  how  to  use  it;  and  I  think  you  will 
admit,  captain,  when  I  tell  you  his  name,  that  the 
man  who  held  the  rifle  knew  how  to  use  it." 

"  What  was  his  name  ?  "  yelled  the  leader. 

"John  Norton"  said  the  man,  quietly.  And  then 
he  added  as  quietly,  "  I  think  I  have  heard  you  speak 
of  him." 

The  look  that  came  to  the  villain's  face  as  he  heard 
the  name  was  a  revelation  of  the  passions  which  the 
human  countenance,  when  powerfully  excited,  can 
make.  As  the  name  was  spoken  the  leader's  face 
blanched  till  its  swarthy  skin  showed  ghastly  in  the 
pallor  of  uncontrollable  fear.  He  stared  at  the  speaker 
as  if  he  himself  were  the  adequate  cause  of  supreme 
terror.  His  jaw  dropped,  and  out  of  the  opened  mouth 
were  projected  in  a  hoarse  whisper,  the  words  ;  — 

"John  Norton!" 


THE  MYSTERY  OF  THE  WOODS.         39 

And  then,  quick  as  a  flash,  as  if  life  depended  on  the 
movement,  he  dashed  his  foot  into  the  centre  of  the 
blazing  brands  and  sent  them  flying  into  the  air  and 
the  camp,  which  had  been  lighted  by  the  fire,  was,  on 
the  instant,  buried  in  darkness. 

For  a  moment  not  a  sound  was  heard  save  the  sput- 
tering of  the  scattered  brands,  as  they  cooled  to  ex- 
tinction where  they  lay  far  and  near  on  the  ground. 
For  a  full  minute,  not  a  sound  was  heard;  in  the 
midst  of  the  darkness  the  six  men  stood  unseen  by  the 
Trapper ;  unseen  by  each  other ;  and  then  a  voice 
asked,  and  the  voice  sounded  cool  and  steady,  — 

"  Will  you  allow  me  to  ask,  captain,  why  you 
extinguished  that  fire  ?  " 

"  FOOLS  ! "  was  the  answer,  "fools,  every  one  of 
you  !  Do  you  not  know  that  a  rifle  whose  bullet 
never  yet  missed  its  mark,  covered  us  from  the  dark- 
ness as  we  stood  by  that  fire  ?  What  devil  of  ill-luck 
was  it  that  directed  me  to  this  lake,  and  threw  us  into 
the  power  of  a  man,  whom,  of  all  men  living,  I  dread 
most  to  meet,  especially  when  on  an  errand  like  this 
and  with  such  a  job  as  we  have  on  our  hands,  cumbered 
with  that  cursed  tent  and  what  is  within  it !  Ay,  ay, 
now  I  know  whose  boat  lay  against  that  beach  and 
whose  fingers  gripped  my  throat ;  it  was  John  Norton's 
boat  and  John  Norton's  hand ;  "  and  again  the  man 
muttered,  —  and  he  swore  a  dreadful  oath  as  he  mut- 
tered it,  — 

"What  devil  of  ill-luck  brought  me  to  this 
lake  !  " 


40  ADIRONDACK  TALES. 

Again  there  was  a  pause.  After  a  minute  or  two, 
the  same  cool  and  steady  voice  said, — 

"  I'll  confess,  captain,  that  we  who  make  up  this 
crowd  don't  know  much  about  your  Indian  tricks  and 
this  prowling  about  in  the  night  like  a  panther,  but  I 
know  we  are  seven,  all  told,  and  there  is  only  one  man 
against  us,  —  and  if  that  one  man  stands  in  the  way, 
I  think  we  had  better  wipe  him  out." 

"Come  this  way,"  said  the  leader,  "and  I'll  tell  you 
what  our  danger  is,  and  the  only  way  to  escape  it." 
And  he  moved  through  the  darkness  to  where  the 
shanty  stood,  followed  by  the  others,  and  the  six 
seated  themselves  in  the  darkness  at  the  front  of  the 
lodge.  And  thus  seated  they  held  their  murderous 
council. 

It  is  said  that  darkness  is  the  shelter  of  guilt.  May 
it  not  with  equal  truth  be  said  that  it  is  the  friend  and 
ally  of  innocence  ?  At  least  it  was  this  at  this  junc- 
ture, for  no  sooner  had  the  renegade  extinguished  the 
fire  than  the  Trapper,  without  an  instant's  hesitation, 
had  run  his  boat  against  the  beach,  and  leaving  it, 
moved  with  a  quick  step  across  the  sand,  and  with  the 
swiftness  of  a  man  moving  in  broad  daylight,  passed 
from  tree  to  tree,  until  he  had  come  within  a  hundred 
feet  of  the  shanty,  and  then  dropping  to  his  knees, 
had  begun  to  work  himself  toward  the  group.  Fortu- 
nately for  him,  Nature  assisted  his  efforts ;  for  a  puff 
of  wind,  such  as  occasionally  moves  unattended  by  any 
current  through  the  calm  stillness  of  the  woods,  starting 
high  up  the  mountain-side,  moved  suddenly  downward 


THE  MYSTERY  OF  THE  WOODS.        41 

toward  the  lake,  swaying  the  pine-tops  and  rustling 
their  tassels  noisily. 

The  Trapper  was  not  slow  to  take  advantage  of  so 
helpful  an  incident,  for  under  cover  of  the  noise  over- 
head he  crept  yet  nigher  and  nigher  to  the  group,  until 
he  was  within  forty  feet  of  the  six  men,  as  they  sat  in 
the  gloom. 

"  Sh !  "  whispered  the  leader  of  the  gang,  "  did  you 
hear  a  noise  ?  "  And  then  he  added,  "  Curse  the  wind ! 
If  John  Norton  was  in  the  woods,  and  not  in  his  boat, 
he  would  crawl  within  twenty  feet  of  us  under  cover  of 
that  noise." 

Again  another  puff  came  down  the  mountain-side, 
and  passed  merrily  through  the  pine  trees  under  which 
they  were  sitting,  and  under  cover  of  it  again  the  Trap- 
per crept  nearer.  When  he  stopped  this  time,  and  lay 
at  full  length,  hidden  in  the  darkness,  he  was  within 
arm's  length  of  the  leader  himself,  as  he  sat  crouched 
on  the  end  of  the  log  that  made  the  front  frame-work 
of  the  lodge. 

It  was  perilous.  In  cooler  moments  the  Trapper 
himself  would  have  called  it  foolhardy ;  but  the  old 
man,  who  for  years  had  done  no  such  work  as  this, 
thrilled  in  every  drop  of  his  blood  with  the  daring  of 
the  enterprise.  Nor  was  his  confidence  in  himself  exag- 
gerated or  his  movement  without  the  support  of  care- 
ful calculation,  for  he  knew  that  with  the  exception  of 
the  leader  himself,  there  was  not  one  in  the  gang  whose 
senses  were  trained  to  such  a  degree  that  they  could 
detect  an  ambush  such  as  he,  with  his  skill  and  his 
courage,  was  making. 


42  ADIRONDACK  TALES. 

"  You  said,"  at  last  spoke  the  leader,  "  that  the  way 
for  us  to  do  was  to  wipe  the  man  out,  and  that  it  was 
seven  against  one  ;  but  the  man  whom  you  propose  to 
wipe  out  is  one  among  a  thousand.  I  have  seen  him  " 
—  and  the  man  ground  his  teeth  as  he  said  it  —  "I 
have  seen  him  in  the  fight  and  on  the  trail ;  and  in  a 
fight  he  is  a  devil,  and  on  the  trail  his  movements  are 
as  noiseless  as  a  snake's." 

"  Who  is  this  John  Norton,  anyway  ? ' '  interrogated 
a  voice. 

"  I  know  not  who  he  is,"  responded  the  leader ;  "  I 
know  only  that  his  strength  is  that  of  a  giant,  that  in 
battle  he  is  without  fear,  and  that  his  bullet  is  death. 
When  I  was  but  a  boy  in  the  tent  of  my  father  I  heard 
his  name  spoken  by  the  chiefs,  —  spoken  in  a  whisper, 
as  men  speak  a  name  of  terror.  When  I  was  in  the 
far  West,  ten  years  ago,  the  Indians  of  the  Plains  had 
his  name,  and  they,  too,  spoke  it  in  whispers,  as  did  the 
chiefs  of  the  North.  And  wherever  I  heard  his  name 
they  told  me  the  same  story  "  — 

"  What  was  the  story  they  told  you,  captain  ?  " 

"  The  story  of  a  man  who  was  never  beaten  in  battle, 
never  met  his  match  in  strength,  never  outwitted  by 
cunning,  never  driven  from  his  purpose,  —  a  man  whose 
knife  is  certain  and  whose  bullet  is  sure.  Such  was  the 
story  they  told  me;  and  little  did  I  think,  when  I 
heard  of  him  as  a  boy,  or  when,  years  later,  I  heard  of 
him  on  the  Plains,  that  I  should  ever  meet  him  in 
battle,  or  bear  his  marks  on  my  body,  curse  him  !  " 

"  Then  you  had  a  set-to  with  the  old  fellow,  did  you  ?" 


THE  MYSTERY  OF  THE  WOODS.         43 

interrogated  the  voice.     "  Tell  us  all  about  it,  captain. 
Where  was  it,  and  how  did  it  come  about  ?  " 

For  several  moments  there  was  no  response,  and  then 
the  leader  said,  — 

"  It's  five  years  ago,  and  in  the  Company's  country, 
that  I  met  him.  I  was  ranging  with  a  band  I  had 
picked  up,  and  we  had  pretty  much  our  own  way,  for 
we  were  a  dozen  in  all,  and  we  hadn't  many  scruples 
about  whose  skins  we  took,  nor  whose  money,  for  that 
matter.  We  didn't  set  many  traps  that  fall,  but  we 
made  a  good  gathering  of  furs,  nevertheless.  We  ran 
across  a  line  one  day  set  with  unusual  skill,  and  we 
cleaned  it  out  and  camped  on  it  at  night.  The  next 
morning  at  dawn  a  man  walked  into  our  midst,  and, 
putting  his  foot  on  the  pack  of  green  skins,  said  the 
skins  were  his,  and  wished  to  know  if  any  of  us  wanted 
to  take  them.  We  were  eight  in  all,  and  we  weren't 
used  to  that  kind  of  talk,  and  we  went  for  him." 

The  leader  had  told  his  story  so  far  with  a  voice  that 
gathered  earnestness  as  he  proceeded,  and  when  he  had 
reached  the  words,  "  We  went  for  him !  "  from  the  re- 
membrance of  a  scene  that  stirred  his  passions,  it 
actually  trembled. 

"  What  happened  then  ?  "  asked  the  quiet  voice  out 
of  the  darkness. 

"  The  two  that  jumped  first  fell  dead  at  his  feet,  with 
a  bullet  hole  in  each  head,"  answered  the  man,  "and 
then  he  was  among  us.  No  matter  about  the  figtV' 
said  the  leader,  "  it  went  against  us ;  that's  enough." 

"  Went  against  you  ?  "  asked  the  voice.     "  I  thought 


44  ADIRONDACK  TALES. 

you  were  eight  against  one,  and  armed,  and  used  to 
having  your  own  way.  How  could  it  go  against  you  ?" 

"  The  devil  knows,  I  don't,"  answered  the  leader 
surlily.  "  I  know  that  we  were  well  armed  and  used  to 
combat,  and  that  we  did  our  best,  and  that  only  two 
came  out  of  that  fight  alive,  —  the  man  that  claimed 
the  skins  and  myself,  —  and  nothing  saved  me  but  an 
accident ;  the  merest  twig  that  turned  the  bullet  from 
its  course,  enough  to  save  my  life,  and  barely  enough, 
for  it  ploughed  across  my  breast  deep  as  the  bone." 

"  And  the  man  who  claimed  the  skins,  captain,  was 
John  Norton  ?  " 

"  Yes,  the  name  leapt  out  of  his  mouth  in  the  midst 
of  the  fight,  and  I've  often  thought  that  it  helped  him 
win  the  fight,  for  we  had  come  through  from  the  plains, 
and  his  name  terrified  the  boys ;  but  it  didn't  terrify 
me,"  continued  the  renegade,  "  for  I  never  saw  a  man 
yet  I  was  afraid  to  meet  in  equal  battle,  and  I  had 
always  sworn  that  if  I  ever  met  John  Norton  I  would 
kill  him ;  and  when  his  name  broke  out  of  his  mouth, 
and  I  knew  that  my  chance  had  come,  I  drawed  on  him, 
standing  not  ten  feet  away." 

"  Did  your  gun  miss  fire,  captain  ?  "  asked  the  voice. 

"  No,  my  gun  did  not  miss  fire,"  was  the  answer. 

"How  did  he  escape,  then?"  asked  the  voice  ex- 
citedly. 

"He  saw  me  drawing  on  him,"  said  the  leader, 
"  though  how,  I  know  not,  for  three  men  were  at  him 
with  their  knives;  but  see  me  he  did,  and  with  a 
motion  quick  as  lightning  he  snatched  one  of  them 


THE  MYSTERY  OF  THE  WOODS.  45 

from  the  ground,  and  flung  him  through  the  air,  as  if 
he  had  been  but  a  dog ;  flung  him  upon  the  very  muz- 
zle of  my  rifle,  and  I  shot  my  own  companion  instead 
of  him." 

"You  didn't  give  the  matter  up  there,  did  you, 
captain  ?  " 

"  No,  I  did  not,"  exclaimed  the  leader  with  an  awful 
oath.  "  I  went  and  gathered  another  band,  twenty  in 
all,  and  we  struck  his  camp  the  very  morning  he  had 
left  it.  His  trail  led  southward,  and  we  followed  it, 
and  the  next  day  at  noon  we  came  upon  him  heavily 
loaded  with  his  traps  and  with  his  skins,  and  for  four 
days  we  had  a  running  fight." 

"  I  should  think  you  might  have  killed  him." 

"That's  because  you  don't  know  the  man,"  answered 
the  leader.  "  Kill  him !  That  man  for  four  days 
played  with  us,  and  at  the  end  of  the  fourth  day  only 
six  of  the  twenty  were  on  his  trail.  My  left  arm  was 
bandaged  where  his  bullet  had  passed  through,  and  in 
three  other  spots  had  his  lead  touched  me,  drawing 
blood." 

"  Did  you  give  up  then  ?  "  asked  the  voice. 

"  Give  up !  Does  a  man  of  my  cross  leave  the  trail 
of  the  man  who  has  beaten  him  twice,  and  whose  bul- 
lets have  four  times  scarred  his  body  ?  I  followed  him 
for  a  month  after  I  had  sent  the  others  back,  and 
before  I  left  his  trail  I  had  been  in  his  tent,  and  he 
was  asleep,  and  my  knife  was  with  me ;  but  an  acci- 
dent saved  him  from  my  knife  even  as  an  accident  had 
saved  me  from  his  bullet. 


46  ADIRONDACK  TALES. 

"  Yes,  as  you  say,  he  must  be  wiped  out,  for  if  by 
any  accident  of  any  devil's  luck  such  as  brought  us  to 
this  lake,  a  detective  should  run  against  him,  we  would 
have  to  fight  for  it ;  and  I  would  sooner  fight  a  dozen  of 
the  best  officers  that  were  ever  sent  against  us  than 
this  one  man.  For  he  knows  no  fear,  and  he  knows 
everything  else  that  a  life  spent  in  woodcraft  and  war 
can  teach  him." 

"Look  here,"  asked  one  of  the  men, "why  not  move 
the  camp  farther  on  ?  " 

"  Move  the  camp  farther  on  !  "  exclaimed  the  leader, 
"  what  good  would  that  do  ?  There  isn't  a  lake  nor  a 
creek  in  these  woods  that  John  Norton  don't  know. 
You  can  hide  in  cities,  for  the  pavement  leaves  no  trail 
and  multitudes  make  concealment ;  but  no  one  can 
hide  in  these  woods  so  that  his  eye  won't  find  him  out, 
nor  can  you  move  either  by  land  or  water  that  he  won't 
detect  your  trail." 

"  Surely,"  said  the  voice  in  reply,  "  surely,  captain, 
with  your  blood  and  your  training  you  ought  to  be  a 
match  in  what  you  call  woodcraft,  of  any  man  living." 

"  My  father  was  a  chief,"  answered  the  renegade, 
and  his  voice  sounded  haughtily  as  he  answered,  "  my 
father  was  a  chief,  and  I  can  make  my  moccasins  as 
light  as  the  air,  and  my  paddle  moves  like  the  fin  of  a 
fish.  John  Norton  himself  knows  that  in  all  the  north 
country  there  is  not  a  lighter  foot  nor  a  quicker  eye 
than  mine.  For  I  have  been  in  his  camp  myself,  as  I 
said,  and,  but  for  his  cursed  dogs,  my  knife  would  have 
been  in  his  breast" 


THE  MYSTERY  OF  THE  WOODS.        47 

"  Very  well,"  said  the  man  answering  back  through 
the  darkness,  "  if  you  have  been  in  his  camp  once,  you 
can  go  into  it  again  ;  and  if  the  dogs  stand  in  the  way, 
why  then,  dogs  are  hungry,  and  dogs  will  eat.  We 
will  poison  the  dogs." 

Was  it  the  result  of  rage  kindled  to  a  flame  at  the 
dastard  suggestion ;  or  was  it  the  result  of  one  of 
those  swift  intuitions  which,  while  it  seemed  the  height 
of  rashness,  was  coolest  calculation,  making  for  himself, 
when  in  danger,  a  quick  and  sure  way  out  of  it  which 
had  made  the  Trapper's  name  synonymous  with  daring 
and  success  ?  Whatever  was  the  cause,  the  words  had 
scarcely  left  the  lips  of  the  speaker,  before  a  man's  fist 
smote  him  on  the  head,  and  he  tumbled  from  the  log 
on  which  he  was  sitting,  into  the  very  lap  of  the  leader, 
and  then,  as  the  five  men  leaped  to  their  feet,  and  as 
many  pistols  flashed  in  the  darkness,  their  ears  caught 
the  sound  of  hurrying  feet  scurrying  through  the 
gloom,  and  the  next  instant  they  caught  the  splash  of 
a  boat  launched  hastily  from  the  beach  and  heard  the 
muttered  words :  — 

"  Pizen  the  pups,  will  ye,  ye  vagabonds !  " 


48  ADIRONDACK  TALES. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

THROUGH  the  darkness  the  old  Trapper  paddled 
toward  his  camp.  He  checked  the  onward  course  of 
his  boat,  as  if  canvassing  in  his  own  mind  the  advisa- 
bility of  returning  in  order  to  investigate  still  further 
the  character  of  his  enemies,  and  the  object  of  their 
encampment,  but  each  time  his  judgment  ruled  against 
his  impulse,  and  he  continued  his  course  toward  his 
cabin.  We  say  his  enemies,  for  as  such  it  was  evident 
that  henceforth  the  men  in  the  camp  on  the  Point  were 
to  be  regarded.  And  enemies  of  such  a  sort,  too,  that 
little  delay  could  be  expected  in  their  efforts  for  his 
destruction. 

"No,  no,"  said  the  Trapper  to  himself,  thinking  — 
as  was  his  custom  when  alone  —  aloud,  "  no,  no,  it 
would  be  downright  foolishness  for  a  man  to  put  his 
moccasin  on  that  beach  ag'in  to-night,  arter  what  has 
passed ;  for  the  vagabonds  be  in  arnest  in  their  deviltry, 
and  I  have  larnt  them  the  value  of  watchfulness  that 
they  won't  forgit  while  they  stay  in  the  woods.  It 
maybe  that  I  acted  a  leetle  hasty  —  yis,  I  do  conceit 
I  acted  onrational  in  cuffin'  that  chap  as  I  did,  for  it 
broke  up  the  council,  and  the  Lord  only  knows  what  I 
might  have  heerd  of  their  evil  doin'  ef  I'd  acted  with 
better  jedgment,  and  let  their  loose  talkin'  gone  on. 
But  I  was  pritty  nigh  'em,  for  sartin,  and  ef  they'd 


THE  MYSTE&Y  OF  THE  WOODS.        40 

begun  to  walk  around  careless-like,  they'd  stumbled 
over  me  —  leastwise,  it's  reasonable  to  think  so  —  and 
then  there  would  have  been  a  good  deal  of  liveliness 
goin'  on  around  that  P'int ;  and  in  sech  a  case  some- 
thin'  would  sartinly  have  happened,  and  then,"  —  and 
here  the  old  Trapper  intermitted  a  couple  of  strokes, 
and  trailed  his  paddle  for  a  moment,  as  if  communing 
with  his  innermost  self. 

"  Yis,  yis,"  he  resumed,  "  I've  consorted  with  the  old 
dog  nigh  on  to  fourteen  year,  and  he  saved  me  from 
the  knife  of  the  vagabond,  there,  as  the  villain  said, 
not  to  speak  of  other  like  sarvices  he's  done  me,  off  and 
on,  actin'  accordin'  to  his  gifts.  Sport  is  the  dyin'  gift 
of  the  Lad,  and  I  remember  well  when  he  gin  me  the 
dog,  and  it's  onreasonable  to  think  that  a  man  who 
loves  the  pups  could  lie  within  arm's  reach  of  a  man 
and  hear  him  talk  of  pizenin'  'em  —  which  is  downright 
murder  as  I  conceit  —  and  not  larn  him  a  leetle  caution 
in  speakin'  of  the  Lord's  creeturs.  Yes,  I'm  glad  I 
cuffed  him  as  I  did,  for  the  vagabond  lacks  manners, 
and  it's  an  actaal  marcy  to  edicate  sech  ignorance. 
And  ef  the  Lord  gives  a  man  a  chance  to  do  sech  an 
act,  it's  downright  sin  not  to  improve  the  opportunity, 
as  the  missioners  say,  as  I  conceit." 

Thus  communing  with  his  own  thoughts  the  Trapper 
held  on  his  course,  paddling  slowly  through  the  dark- 
ness toward  his  camp.  At  last  he  reached  the  north- 
ern end  of  the  lake  and  moved  into  the  little  bay  in 
front  of  the  grove  of  maples  in  which  his  cabin  stood. 
Nor  did  he  land  at  once,  but  twice  he  skirted  the  shore 


50  ADIRONDACK  TALES. 

noiselessly,  and  when  he  landed  he  ran  his  boat  against 
the  shore  with  the  utmost  caution.  "  For,"  he  said  to 
himself,  "  there's  no  telling  how  many  of  the  vagabonds 
there  be,  nor  where  they  be,  and  it  won't  do  in  war- 
time, when  enemies  are  around,  to  run  into  yer  own 
camp  careless-like."  It  was  not  until  with  noiseless 
foot  he  had  reached  the  door  of  his  cabin,  and  heard 
the  welcoming  whine  of  the  hounds,  who  had  scented 
him,  that  he  ventured  to  enter. 

"  Ye  be  good  and  sensible,  pups,"  said  the  old  man 
to  the  dogs,  as  he  lighted  a  candle,  made  from  the 
tallow  of  a  buck,  with  his  own  hands;  "yis,  ye  be 
knowin'  and  faithful  accordin'  to  yer  gifts,  and  a  man 
can  sleep  in  peace  with  yer  muzzles  on  the  threshold. 
Many  be  the  time,  Rover,  that  yer  father,  and  yer 
gran'ther  afore  ye,  gave  me  warnin'  when  inimies 
were  'round  me  seekin'  my  life ;  and  ye,  yerself,  saved 
me  from  the  murderin'  knife  of  the  vagabond  on  the 
P'int  there,  as  the  villain  himself  said.  The  Lord  may 
sartinly  hold  jedgment  agin  me  ef  I  ever  ag'in  range 
my  eyes  through  the  sights  ef  he  be  within  decent 
distance,  and  I  don't  bring  his  deviltry  to  an  eend." 

Here  the  old  man  paused,  and  removing  the  caps 
from  the  tubes  of  his  rifle  wiped  them  with  a  buckskin 
rag,  until  all  moisture  was  removed,  and  then,  recap- 
ping them,  he  called  the  dogs  from  their  resting  spot 
to  his  side,  and  said,  — 

"  Pups,  there  be  inimies  'round ;  do  you  hear, 
Rover,  there  be  inimies  'round,  and,  for  aught  I 
know,  the  vagabonds  may  be  outlyin'  about  the  cabin 


THE  MYSTERY  OF  THE   WOODS.  51 

afore  mornin'  ; "  and  here  the  old  man  fingered  the 
locks  of  his  rifle  significantly,  and  pointed  toward  the 
open  door,  while  the  hounds  pricked  up  their  ears  and 
scented  the  air  with  lifted  muzzles.  "Ay,  ay,  I  see 
ye  understand,"  continued  the  Trapper,  "  and  I  must 
sleep  and  ye  must  wake  to-night.  Here,  pups,  come 
here  and  make  yer  bed  by  the  door,  and  do  ye  give 
me  warnin'  ef  ye  scent  man  or  beast  afore  dawn.  And 
do  ye  remember,  Rover,"  and  the  Trapper  patted  the 
old  hound's  head,  "  that  yer  master  sleeps  with  nothin' 
but  yer  nose  and  yer  senses  atween  him  and  danger." 
So  saying,  the  Trapper  motioned  the  dogs  to  their  bed, 
where  they  crouched  with  their  muzzles  actually  rest- 
ing on  the  doorsill,  while  he,  throwing  some  skins  on 
to  the  floor  behind  them,  with  his  rifle  by  his  side  and 
his  hand  resting  on  the  stock,  lay  down  to  sleepj 
knowing  that  between  him  and  any  enmity  of  men,  lay 
two  faithful  sentinels  who  would  keep  certain  watch 
until  the  morning  should  dawn. 

The  light  of  early  morning  was  just  beginning  to 
redden  in  the  east  when  the  Trapper  woke  from  his 
slumber.  He  rose  at  once  from  the  skins  on  which  he 
had  been  sleeping,  and,  speaking  pleasantly  to  the  dogs 
who  still  lay  stretched  side  by  side  as  he  had  placed 
them  hours  before,  he  passed  out  of  the  door  and  ranged 
his  eyes  up  the  lake.  Then,  calling  the  hounds  to  his 
side,  he  sent  them  by  a  motion  of  his  hand  and  a  word 
of  prompting,  circling  around  the  cabin  as  if  in  search 
of  game.  In  a  moment  the  dogs  returned,  having  given 
no  cry,  and  stood  wagging  their  tails  in  front  of  him. 


52  ADIRONDACK  TALES. 

"All  right,  pups !  all  right! "  exclaimed  the  Trapper. 
"I  know  what  ye  mean;  for  ye  tell  me  as  plain  as 
words  of  truth  could  speak  it  that  foot  of  man  has  not 
touched  the  shore  to-night.  Do  ye  stay  where  ye  be 
till  the  meat  is  ready,  and  do  ye  keep  yer  eyes  on  the 
water  and  your  noses  toward  the  bush,  for  I  mistrust 
the  vagabonds,  and  when  they  come  they  must  find 
John  Norton  waitin'  for  'em.  Ef  fightin'  comes  in 
downright  arnest,"  muttered  the  old  man,  as  he  en- 
tered the  cabin  to  prepare  the  meal,  "  I  sartinly  wish 
the  boy  was  here,  for  his  eye  is  keen  and  his  finger 
quick ;  and  his  piece  is  a  good  un,  and  eight  to  one  is 
big  odds." 

The  meal  was  soon  prepared,  and,  moving  the  table 
through  the  doorway,  the  old  Trapper  proceeded  to  eat 
it  with  evident  relish.  The  hounds  kept  their  station, 
while  their  vigilant  eyes  and  active  muzzles  bore  evi- 
dence that  even  the  smell  and  sight  of  food  could  not 
cause  them  to  forget  their  master's  commands.  The 
sun  was  already  risen,  and  the  fog  that  heavily  swathed 
the  level  lake  began  to  roll  itself  southward,  as  moved 
by  the  rising  current  of  air,  resembling  nothing  so  much 
as  gigantic  rolls  of  carded  wool,  whose  tapering  ends 
touched  either  shore.  Before  the  meal  was  ended  the 
surface  of  the  lake,  lively  with  ripples,  lay  plain  to 
view.  The  old  Trapper  was  cleaning  his  plate  with 
the  last  morsel  of  bread,  preliminary  to  eating  it,  when 
a  low  growl  from  both  of  the  hounds  simultaneously 
sounded  their  warning. 

"  Ay,   ay,  pups,"   answered  the   Trapper ;    "  I  see 


THE  MYSTERY  OF  THE  WOODS.        53 

what  ye  see.  It's  one  of  the  vagabonds  for  sartin  ;  for, 
far  off  as  it  is,  I  can  see  it's  a  canoe,  and  paddled  by  a 
man  who  uses  his  paddle  as  ef  it  was  a  Dutchwoman's 
washin'-board.  Don't  git  oneasy,  pups,  for  he's  a  good 
mile  away  yit,  and  ef  he  don't  git  the  swing  of  the  ash 
better  than  he's  got  it  yit,  it'll  take  him  a  good  hour  to 
cover  the  distance,  onless  he  quits  the  canoe  and  takes 
to  swimmin'.  So,  pups,  come  here  and  take  yer  break- 
fast like  rational  dogs,  as  ye  be,  and  never  mind  the 
canoe.  For  there's  plenty  of  time,  and  many  a  fight 
and  many  a  race  by  man  and  dog  alike  is  won  at  the 
table.  For  a  full  stomach  at  the  table  makes  a  stout 
heart  in  the  scrimmage." 

So  saying,  the  Trapper  proceeded  to  feed  the  hounds 
bountifully,  which  having  done,  he  cleared  away  the 
dishes  and  carried  the  table  back  into  the  cabin. 

By  this  time  the  canoe  was  within  a  quarter  of  a 
mile  of  the  beach,  and  the  Trapper,  with  his  rifle  in 
the  hollow  of  his  arm,  walked  leisurely  down  to  the 
bank  and  waited  the  approach  of  the  eanoe,  which, 
with  the  awkward  motion  of  a  novice,  was  being  lum- 
beringly  pushed  along.  It  needed  but  a  glance  on  the 
part  of  the  Trapper  to  reveal  the  fact  that  the  man  in 
the  canoe  was  the  same  who  had  been  the  spokesman 
of  the  party  on  the  night  of  his  first  call  at  the  camp 
on  the  Point,  and  whose  coolness  had  extorted  the  old 
man's  admiration. 

From  the  elevation  on  which  the  Trapper  stood  he 
could  easily  command  not  merely  a  full  view  of  the 
person  of  the  paddler  from  head  to  foot,  but  the  bottom 


54  ADIRONDACK  TALES. 

of  the  canoe,  also,  from  stem  to  stern ;  and  it  was 
patent  at  a  glance  that  the  man  was  totally  unarmed, 
and  the  boat  empty  of  weapons,  save  in  the  belt  of  the 
paddler  was  a  knife,  and  on  the  bow  of  the  canoe, 
where  it  was  decked  over,  was  a  pair  of  long-barrelled 
duelling  pistols. 

When  some  fifty  rods  from  the  shore  the  paddler 
checked  his  boat,  and,  taking  a  white  handkerchief 
from  his  pocket,  waved  it  over  his  head. 

"  Ay,  ay,"  called  the  Trapper,  in  answer  to  the  sig- 
nal ;  "  I  know  the  language  of  yer  sign,  and  many  be 
the  times  I've  seed  it  waved  when  smoke  was  thick  and 
bodies  of  men  covered  the  ground.  Yis,  yis,  hist  yer 
craft  along  ef  ye  can,  or  I  shall  have  to  come  out  and 
tow  ye  in." 

Thus  encouraged,  the  boatman  renewed  his  efforts, 
and,  by  dint  of  great  exertion,  soon  brought  it  within 
forty  yards  of  the  beach,  when  he  again  checked  his 
efforts,  and  for  a  full  moment  inspected  the  Trapped 
The  Trapper  returned  the  inquisition  of  the  stranger, 
and  it  is  safe  to  say  that  there  was  little  about  the  other 
that  either  of  them  didn't  see. 

The  stranger  was  of  medium  size,  and  dressed  in  a 
manner  which  divided  his  garments  equally  between  the 
fashion  of  the  woods  and  the  city.  His  moccasins  were 
almost  snow-white,  and  gayly  ornamented  with  beads  of 
many  colors.  His  pantaloons  were  of  checked  cassi- 
mere,  of  sober  shade,  and  as  clean  and  unseamed  as  if 
just  from  the  hands  of  a  tailor.  His  belt  was  of  the 
color  of  his  moccasins,  and  as  gayly  ornamented.  The 


THE  MYSTERY  OF  THE  WOODS.  55 

handle  of  his  knife  was  of  solid  pearl.  His  white  shirt 
—  for  he  wore  neither  vest  nor  coat  —  was  immaculately 
clean,  and  from  the  centre  of  its  ruffled  front  blazed  a 
magnificent  diamond.  On  the  little  finger  of  his  left 
hand,  as  it  rested  carelessly  on  the  paddle  shaft,  glowed 
with  equal  splendor  a  companion  gem.  The  hands 
themselves  were  white,  and,  for  a  man's,  exceedingly 
delicate.  His  face,  in  the  clean-cut  outline  of  the  domi- 
nant features,  was  positively  classical ;  and,  as  it  was 
clean-shaven,  save  as  to  the  mustache,  it  showed  to  great 
advantage  against  the  background  of  long,  wavy,  jet- 
black  hair  that  fell  in  a  curling  mass  even  to  his  shoul- 
ders. His  lips  were  full  and  curved  like  a  girl's.  His 
nose  straight  as  a  Greek's,  the  nostrils  thin.  His  eyes 
a  keen,  steely  gray. 

"  Good-morning,  old  man,"  said  the  stranger,  break- 
ing the  silence  at  last,  and  as  he  spoke  his  lips  parted 
pleasantly,  and  the  teeth  showed  snow-white  behind  the 
smiling  lines.  "  I've  come  down  to  make  you  a  call,  and 
have  a  little  fun  with  you,  if  you  feel  good-natured 
enough  to  grant  me  an  interview.  Then  there's  some- 
thing I  want  to  talk  over  with  you  about  the  camp  on 
the  Point,  so  there  needn't  be  any  misunderstanding 
about  matters.  Can  I  come  ashore,  old  man  ? " 

"  Yis,"  answered  the  old  man,  "ye  can  come  in,  but 
afore  ye  come  in  it's  best  we  understand  each  other ; 
for  ef  ye  expect  to  come  any  of  yer  leetle  pranks  on  an 
old  man  whose  eye  and  ear  and  finger,  for  that  matter, 
larnt  their  tricks  on  the  trail  and  in  the  scrimmage,  I 
might  as  well  tell  ye,  young  man,  that  ye' 11  come  in  a 


56  ADIRONDACK  TALES. 

good  deal  livelier  than  ye' 11  go  out ;  for  I've  stood  about 
all  the  sass  I  shall  from  ye  chaps  on  the  P'int.  And  ef 
ye  poke  me  up  any  more,  somethin'  will  happen.  Yis, 
ye  can  come  in,  and  ef  ye  act  square  ye  can  go  out, 
but  ef  ye  try  to  play  any  nasty  trick  on  me,  or  even 
git  sassy-like  with  yer  tongue,  why  then  some  of  yer 
comrades  in  yer  deviltry  will  have  to  come  and  fetch 
ye  out.  Ye  understand  the  tarms  now,  and  ef  ye  like 
the  conditions  ye  can  paddle  in  and  welcome ;  but  let 
me  say  that  any  leetle  motions  ye  might  make  toward 
them  pistils  there,  in  passin',  would  send  ye  into  etar- 
nity  afore  yer  finger  could  tech  a  triggui.  For  I've  a 
piece  that  works  quick,  and  my  muzzle  always  covers 
onsartain  game  when  I  go  into  a  thicket." 

"Oh,  that's  all  right,"  said  the  man  pleasantly.  "If 
you  and  I  ever  fight,  we'll  fight  on  an  even  deal.  I 
didn't  come  to  fight,  John  Norton,  and  if  I  had,  I'd 
shuffle  fair.  I  bet  on  luck  and  go  my  pile  on  the  fickle 
jade.  If  she  favors  and  I  win,  I  laugh  ;  if  she  frowns 
and  I  lose,  I  laugh  as  gayly.  She's  favored  me  thus 
far,  and  I  shall  trust  her  to  the  end  of  the  game. 
When  the  game  ends  is  pure  luck  also.  How's  that 
for  doctrine,  John  Norton  ?  "  and  so  saying  the  gambler 
stepped  ashore,  and,  climbing  the  bank,  stopped  in  front 
of  the  old  Trapper,  while  he  busied  himself  in  brushing 
the  sand  from  his  gayly  wrought  moccasins. 

"  It's  the  devil's  own  doctrine,  young  man,"  answered 
the  Trapper.  "  A  man  dies  when  he  dies,  by  the  Lord's 
app'intment,  for  he  has  numbered  the  hairs  of  our  heads, 
and  the  length  of  our  days,  be  they  few  or  many,  be 


THE  MYSTERY  OF  THE  WOODS.         57 

writ  in  his  Book.  It's  not  by  luck  that  I  have  passed 
through  the  dangers  of  sixty  year,  spent  on  the  trail 
and  the  deadly  scrimmage,  or  that  my  hairs  be  whiten- 
in'  in  peace,  but  because  the  hour  that  the  Lord  has 
fixed  for  me  to  stand  in  the  Great  Clearin'  has  not  yit 
come,  and  the  eend  of  my  trail  is  not  yit  reached. 
That's  my  doctrine,  young  man,  and  it's  good  in  Scrip- 
tur'  and  reason  both,  as  I  conceit." 

"It  may  be  as  you  say,  touching  yourself,  John 
Norton,"  answered  the  gambler,  "but  I  belong  to 
another  generation,  and  see  things  differently.  The 
Book  you  put  faith  in  I  don't  care  a  deuce  for, 
and  luck  is  better  than  reason,  when  the  wheel  goes 
round,  and  the  coin  is  plenty.  Scripture  and  reason 
ain't  mentioned  in  the  rules  of  the  game  I  play,  and  in 
my  business  luck  governs  the  points."  And  the  man 
laughed  lightly  and  even  merrily,  as  he  spoke. 

"  What  be  your  business  ?  "  asked  the  Trapper. 

"I  amuse  people,"  answered  the  man,  "and  take  the 
conceit  out  of  fools."  And  again  he  laughed  pleasantly. 

"I  don't  understand  ye,"  replied  the  Trapper,  "and 
ag'in  I  ax  ye  what  be  yer  business,  and  how  do  ye  amuse 
people  ?  " 

"  With  these  !  "  And  the  man  whipped  a  pack  of 
cards  from  his  pocket  and  shuffled  them  carelessly, 
"  with  these  I  amuse  people  and  take  the  conceit  out 
of  fools." 

"  Ye  be  a  gambler,"  exclaimed  the  Trapper,  "  and  ye 
be  the  devil's  own  child  ! " 

"I  shouldn't  wonder,"  replied  the  man,  "if  I  was. 


58  ADIRONDACK  TALES. 

The  relationships  in  genteel  society  are  a  good  deal 
mixed,  and  it's  a  wise  son  that  knows  his  own  father. 
You  don't  play,  old  man  ?  "  The  fellow  put  the  inter- 
rogation with  the  coolness  of  long  habit. 

u  The  Lord  forbid  !  "  answered  the  Trapper,  u  I  never 
tetched  a  keerd  in  my  life,  nor  do  I  know  the  picturs 
one  from  another."  And  the  look  of  abhorrence  and 
contempt  on  his  rugged  features  gave  supreme  empha- 
sis to  the  assertion. 

"I'm  sorry,"  replied  the  gambler  —  and  for  the  first 
time  since  he  landed,  his  face  took  a  sober  expression, 
—  "I  swear  by  the  aces  and  the  bowers,  I'm  sorry,  for 
if  you  even  knew  the  value  of  the  cards  we  could  have 
settled  the  matter  between  us  without  further  trouble." 

"  What  matter  do  you  mean  ?  "  queried  the  Trapper. 
"  I've  had  no  traffic  with  ye,  and  there's  nothin'  to 
settle." 

"Yes,  there  is  something  between  us,"  coolly  answered 
the  gambler,  "  and  something  mighty  serious,  too,  and 
something  that's  got  to  be  settled  pleasantly  before  I 
leave  this  beach,  or  it  will  be  settled  unpleasantly  after 
I  leave  it."  And  the  man  paused  and  looked  at  the 
Trapper  significantly. 

"  Ye  sartinly  know  a  good  deal  more  than  I  do," 
answered  the  Trapper,  "  and  as  I  never  say  anything 
onless  I  have  something  to  say,  ye'd  better  speak  fust." 

"  Very  well,"  replied  the  gambler,  "  I  don't  know 
much  about  the  game  I'm  playing,  but  it's  always  safe 
to  lead  an  ace ;  so  here  goes.  The  matter  I  came  to 
speak  to  you  about,  and  to  arrange  if  possible,  is  the 


THE  MYSTERY  OF  THE  WOODS.  59 

camp  on  the  Point.  There  it  is,  old  man,  on  the  board ; 
cover  it." 

"  Sartin,"  answered  the  Trapper,  "  I  don't  quite  ketch 
the  meanin'  of  your  gambler's  talk,  but  I'll  settle  that 
business  on  the  P'int  there  in  about  a  week,  as  the  signs 
now  p'int." 

"What  do  you  propose  to  do?"  asked  the  gambler 
coolly. 

"  I  conceit  I  shall  know  what's  inside  the  big  tent  in 
about  a  week,"  answered  the  Trapper  as  coolly  ;  "  but 
a  day  more  or  less,  when  yer  arter  game  of  that  size, 
don't  matter,  and  I  shan't  be  perticerler." 

"  You  will  be  more  likely  to  know  what's  in  heaven," 
laughingly  replied  the  gambler.  "  No,  no,  old  man,  I 
told  the  captain  when  I  got  up  this  morning  that  it 
wasn't  a  fair  game.  The  cards  are  stocked,  and  we 
hold  the  whole  pack  —  seven  to  one!  It's  no  fair. 
There's  no  chance  for  luck ;  it  is  nothing  short  of 
murder,  and  I  told  the  captain  to  his  face,  that  I 
wouldn't  see  a  man  wiped  out  in  that  style.  And  so 
I  came  down  to  see  if  we  couldn't  sort  of  ante  up,  and 
get  out  of  it  without  any  unpleasantness." 

The  gambler  was  unmistakably  in  earnest,  that  the 
old  Trapper  could  see.  To  him  the  death  of  the  Trap- 
per seemed  a  foregone  conclusion.  He  knew  the  char- 
acter of  the  crowd  to  which  he  belonged,  and  the 
deadliness  of  their  purpose.  He  knew  the  skill  and 
murderous  energy  with  which  they  would  launch  them- 
selves against  the  man  in  whom  they  all  recognized  a 
common  enemy.  It  was  certainly  evident  that  how- 


60  ADIRONDACK  TALES. 

ever  debasing  the  practice  of  his  profession  might  be, 
the  gambler  recognized  the  code,  and  was  exerting 
himself  to  the  full  extent  of  his  power  to  avoid  what 
seemed  to  him  not  battle  but  murder.  The  motive 
which  had  prompted  him  to  this  visit  was  honorable, 
and  the  old  man  was  not  slow  to  see  that  underneath 
the  surface  of  reckless  wickedness  there  still  survived 
those  honorable  instincts  which  make  the  civilized  man 
to  differ  from  the  barbarian. 

"  I  am  much  obleeged  to  ye,"  answered  the  Trapper, 
"  for  though  yer  arrand  be  foolish,  yit  yer  motive  was 
a  good  un ;  but  ye  needn't  worry  about  me.  I  know 
the  man  I  have  to  deal  with  on  the  P'int,  and  there's 
a  leetle  outstandin'  account  atween  us  that  orter  be 
settled ;  and  as  for  the  odds,  it's  enough  to  make  the 
issue  onsartin ;  and  that's  all  there  is  to  say  about  it. 
Ef  it  be  the  Lord's  will  that  I  meet  my  eend  this  week 
and  on  this  lake,  he'll  find  John  Norton  ready  when  he 
calls.  But  there's  deviltry  on  that  P'int,  and  I'll  find 
it  out." 

"  Egad,  old  man,  I  must  say  that  I  like  the  way  you 
hold  your  cards,  and  though  I  know  it  would  be  against 
luck,  and  we  would  be  bound  to  lose,  yet  I  swear,  if  I 
wasn't  dealing  for  the  other  side  I'd  assist,  myself ;  but 
as  it  is,  you've  got  to  play  it  alone,  and  I  tell  you  the 
cards  are  against  you,  for  I  made  the  deal ;  and  now 
for  God's  sake  let  us  settle  this  thing  peaceably.  I 
have  heard  of  your  fame,  and  I  never  heard  but  one 
thing  of  you ;  and  now  that  I  look  upon  you,  and  see 
your  white  head  —  well,  damn  it,  it  almost  makes  a 


THE  MYSTERY  OF  THE  WOODS.  61 

fool  of  me,  and  the  game  can't  be  played  out.  I  told 
the  captain  that  it  couldn't  be  played  out,  but  if  I  go 
back  without  an  arrangement,  it  will  be  played  out ;  so 
don't  shake  your  head,  but  let  me  make  a  proposition." 

"  I  said,  young  man,"  answered  the  Trapper.  "  that 
ye  was  the  devil's  own  child,  and  I  don't  say  that  I 
will  change  my  idees  of  ye ;  but  I  will  say  that  ef  ye 
be  the  devil's  own  child  ye've  got  a  good  broad  streak 
of  righteousness  in  ye  somewhere.  But  it's  mighty 
resky  the  way  yer  goin'  on,  for  ye  be  in  a  mighty  bad 
set." 

"  Look  here,  old  man,"  answered  the  gambler,  "  you 
listen :  Now  you  understand  that  I  shall  play  this 
thing  through  unless  you  settle ;  but  don't  think  that 
I  don't  know  that  I  am  playing  with  mighty  dirty 
cards.  I  didn't  choose  the  pack.  You  see  I  didn't 
start  the  thing.  A  friend  of  mine  had  it  in  hand.  He 
had  done  me  a  good  turn  once  —  a  little  matter  where 
pistols  and  a  morning  ride  came  in.  He  is  a  little  care- 
less, —  careless  footed,  you  know,  and  coming  out  of  a 
house  in  Quebec,  one  night,  he  stumbled.  There  hap- 
pened to  be  a  knife  at  the  bottom  of  the  steps,  and  the 
knife  accidentally  went  through  him.  He  killed  the 
fellow,  and  staggered  to  my  lodgings  before  he  started 
the  knife.  The  doctor  said  he  would  live,  but  the  up- 
shot of  it  was  that  I  had  to  take  his  cards ;  that's  the 
way  I  got  into  this  little  matter,  and  that's  why,  old 
man,  I've  got  to  play  the  game  through.  If  it  was 
mine,  I  would  throw  it  up.  So  I've  come  down  here 
to  make  you  a  proposition." 


62  ADIRONDACK  TALES. 

"Ye  can  say  what  ye've  got  to  say,"  answered  the 
Trapper.  "  Ye  can  say  what  ye've  got  to  say,  young 
man,  but  I  don't  conceit  that  the  signs  p'int  towards 
peace,  for  there  is  a  right  and  a  wrong  about  it,  and 
that  makes  bargainin'  out  of  the  question,  as  I  jedge." 

"  I  tell  you  what  I  will  do,"  responded  the  gambler  ; 
"  I'll  draw  with  you  for  it,"  and  as  he  spoke  he  shuffled 
all  the  face  cards  out  of  the  pack  on  to  the  ground ; 
"  you  don't  understand  the  value  of  the  pictures,  but 
you  do  know  that  two  is  more  than  one,  and  ten  more 
than  five.  I  make  this  proposition :  the  highest  num- 
ber wins.  If  you  draw  higher  than  I,  you  shall  not  be 
disturbed ;  if  I  draw  higher  than  you,  you  shan't  dis- 
turb us.  Come,  how  do  you  like  it  ?  " 

"  I  don't  do  things  that  way,"  answered  the  Trap- 
per. "When  I  draw,  as  ye  call  it,  it  will  be  in  a 
different  fashion." 

For  a  moment  the  gambler  stood  perplexed,  and  an- 
expression  almost  of  pain  crossed  his  handsome  feat- 
ures, and  the  customary  nonchalance  of  his  manner 
sobered  into  gravity,  and  then  he  said,  — 

"  Old  man,  the  game  has  got  to  stop ;  it's  all  one- 
sided, and  it  is  simply  murder.  I  will  give  you  a 
second  plan,  and,  for  God's  sake,  don't  say  nay  to  it. 
There  is  a  man  about  your  age  down  on  the  coast,  — 
he  and  I  have  not  had  much  to  do  with  each  other  for 
some  years.  You  see,  we  had  a  little  conversation  one 
evening,  and  I  left  that  night.  I  have  not  seen  him 
since.  He's  about  your  age;  your  head  makes  me 
think  of  him.  There  is  a  slight  relationship  between 


THE  MYSTERY  OF  THE  WOODS.          63 

us ;  they  call  it  father,  I  think.  Well,  no  matter  about 
that;  I  want  to  stop  this  thing  right  here,  and  this 
is  what  I  propose :  You  see  those  pistols  —  they  are 
favorites  of  mine.  I  say,  plainly,  that  there  is  but  one 
man  in  the  world  to  whom  I  cannot  give  odds  and 
win.  I  know  your  skill,  and  the  piece  that  lies  in 
your  arm  is,  I  suppose,  your  favorite.  I  tell  you  what 
we  will  do.  If  you  won't  draw  for  it,  we  will  shoot 
for  it.  Any  way  so  that  the  cards  shan't  be  packed, 
old  man,  —  any  way  so  that  the  cards  shan't  be 
packed ;  "  and  then  the  man,  after  a  moment's  pause, 
said,  "  Will  you  shoot  for  it  ?  " 

"  What's  the  match  ?  "  asked  the  Trapper. 

"  Do  you  mean  what's  the  prize  ?  "  interrogated  the 
gambler. 

"  Sartin,  sartin,"  answered  the  Trapper,  "  a  man 
don't  want  to  barn  powder  for  nothin',  not  to  speak  of 
the  caps  and  the  lead,  though  the  caps  be  plenty  and 
the  boy  sends  in  lead  by  the  ton." 

"  The  prize  is  this,"  answered  the  gambler,  "  we  will 
shoot  three  shots ;  if  I  win,  you  are  to  let  the  camp 
alone  ;  if  you  win,  the  game  goes  on,  —  if  you  choose. 
What  say  you  to  that  ?  " 

"  The  matter  of  shootin',"  answered  the  Trapper, 
"  is  a  kind  of  pleasant  divarsion  to  a  man  of  my  gifts 
at  this  time  of  the  year,  when  the  bucks  be  lean,  the 
does  be  with  fawn,  and  the  fur  loose  in  the  skin.  And 
ef  ye  want  a  leetle  playfulness,  why  the  air  be  clear 
and  the  light  jest  about  right;  and  as  for  yer  pistol 
shootin',  Henry  has  told  me  a  good  deal,  off  and  on, 


64  ADIRONDACK  TALES. 

about  the  tricks  that  the  perfessors  have,  and,  it  may 
be,  ye  can  show  an  old  man  some  new  devices,  and  a 
surer  way  to  drive  lead  than  he  has  larnt  in  sixty  year 
of  practice  with  the  weepon.  Yis,  ye  name  yer  tar- 
gets, and  we'll  shoot  the  three  shots,  and  ef  ye  beat  me 
at  the  shootin'  I'll  take  the  pups  and  start  for  the  Sar- 
anac,  afore  ye  can  paddle  yer  canoe  to  yer  camp ;  for 
the  boy  is  comin'  in  soon,  and  the  Lord  knows  I 
Wouldn't  have  him  see  the  man  that  beat  me  in  shootin' 
when  I  was  usin'  the  lead  and  the  powder  and  the  caps 
he  has  sent  me.  Yis,  I'll  accept  the  tarms." 

The  angel  that  keeps  the  book  in  which  the  emotions 
of  human  hearts  are  recorded,  will  surely  remember  in 
the  hour  of  his  deepest  need  the  flush  of  satisfaction 
that  lighted  the  pale  face  of  the  gambler,  and  the  joy 
which  leapt  to  his  heart  as  the  old  man,  whose  whitened 
head  had  reminded  him  of  his  distant  and  deserted 
father,  closed  with  his  propositions.  He  turned  toward 
his  canoe  with  a  foot  swift  and  light  as  a  boy's,  when 
buoyant  with  happiness ;  for,  knowing  his  own  almost 
matchless  skill,  he  felt  confident  of  winning  the  match 
and  thus  saving  from  murderous  violence  the  old  man  to 
whom  his  heart  had,  as  he  conversed  with  him,  more 
and  more  strongly  gone  out.  With  a  fine  touch  of 
chivalry,  which  the  Trapper  was  not  slow  to  notice, 
the  gambler  left  one  pistol  in  the  boat,  and,  returning, 
with  equal  chivalry  proposed  to  shoot  the  first  shot 
himself. 

"  Ye  needn't  think  I  mistrust  ye,  boy,  for  I  don't," 
said  the  Trapper.  "  But  it  may  be  the  thought  of  my 


THE  MYSTERY  OF  THE  WOODS.        65 

faith  in  ye  will  make  yer  narves  steadier  in  the  trial, — 
make  it  seem  more  like  a  leetle  playfulness  atween  us, 
and  not  a  matter  of  life  and  death,  as  it's  pretty  sartin 
to  be,  so  pick  out  yer  target  and  show  us  the  natur  of 
yer  gifts.  Lord-a-massy,  ef  the  boy  was  here,  what 
fun  we  three  might  have  !  " 

"This  is  the  first  trial,"  said  the  man.  "You  see 
two  cones  on  that  pine,  —  the  two  that  stand  tipping 
the  third  branch  from  the  water.  I  will  take  the 
lower.  If  it  is  left  you  can  take  it,"  said  the  gambler 
laughingly ;  "  if  not,  the  other,"  and  as  the  last  word 
sounded,  his  pistol  cracked  sharp  and  quick,  and  the 
little  cone,  no  larger  than  a  marble,  disappeared. 

"  Ye  did  it  well,"  said  the  Trapper.  "  I've  picked 
that  tree  nearly  clean  myself;  —  but  I  will  take  the 
one  ye  left,"  and  the  vibrations  of  the  last  word  were 
lost  in  the  ring  of  the  piece  as  he  discharged  it. 

The  gambler  looked  at  the  twig,  now  bare,  then  he 
looked  at  the  Trapper,  and  said,  — 

"  Honors  are  easy,  old  man,"  and  he  laughed  like  a 
boy ;  but  through  the  laughter  quivered  a  vibration  of 
graver  quality,  almost  of  pain. 

In  a  moment  each  of  the  two  men  had  reloaded  his 
weapon ;  and  the  Trapper  said,  — 

"  What  next,  friend  ?  " 

"This!"  answered  the  gambler,  and  walking  off 
some  twenty  paces,  he  put  a  deuce  of  spades  against  a 
stump,  and  returning,  he  said,  "  I  take  the  lower,"  and 
again  his  pistol  cracked  quick  as  a  thought. 

"  And  I  take  the  upper,"  said  the  Trapper,  and  his 


66  ADIRONDACK  TALES. 

bullet  drove  through  the  upper  spot,  as  the  gambler's 
had  through  the  lower. 

Again  they  recharged  their  pieces. 

"  What  next  ?  "  asked  the  Trapper.  "  There  is  only 
oiie  more  bullet,  and  it  isn't  sartin  whether  I  go  to  the 
Saranac  or  to  the  Pint." 

"  Say,  rather,  old  man,  that  it  is  not  certain  whether 
you  go  to  the  Saranac  or  to  your  death,"  almost 
solemnly  reiterated  the  gambler. 

"The  Lord  bey  end  doubt  knows,"  answered  the 
Trapper;  "but  the  shootin'  may  help  him  decide." 

But  the  humor  of  the  Trapper  started  no  answering 
smile  on  the  countenance  of  the  gambler.  He  said 
not  a  word,  but  took  two  glass  balls,  brightly  gilded, 
from  his  pocket,  and  giving  one  to  the  Trapper,  he 
said,  — 

"  A  flying  shot.  I  never  inissed  but  once."  And 
steadying  himself  for  a  moment,  he  breathed  his  breath 
from  his  chest  and  tossed  the  shining  globe  high 
into  the  air.  Up,  up  it  went ;  another  second  and  it 
would  reach  the  apex  of  its  upward  flight,  at  which 
point  the  Trapper  knew  full  well  the  ^gambler  had  cal- 
culated to  take  it.  Was  it  fate,  was  it  Providence, 
was  it  the  gambler's  "  luck,"  that  even  at  the  instant 
when  it  came  to  the  point  of  its  highest  flight,  a  puff 
of  wind  caught  it  suddenly,  and  blew  it  outward  as  if 
it  were  a  feather,  and  the  bullet  from  the  gambler's 
pistol  missed  it  by  its  width  ? 

But  another  bullet  did  not  miss  it,  for  scarcely  had 
the  pistol  cracked  before  the  Trapper  jumped  his  rifle 


THE  MYSTERY  OF  THE   WOODS.  67 

to  his  cheek,  and  as  the  wind  swept  the  shining  globe 
out  over  the  lake,  his  bullet  caught  it  as  it  flew,  and 
the  globe  burst  into  gilded  fragments. 

"  The  game  goes  on"  said  the  gambler,  and  he  turned 
carelessly  toward  the  canoe;  but  his  face  was  white 
in  its  excitement,  though  not  a  muscle  moved.  He 
had  nearly  reached  the  canoe  when  he  turned,  and, 
stepping  quickly  back  in  front  of  the  Trapper,  he 
said,  — 

"  Look  here,  old  man,  the  game  will  go  against  you ; 
for  the  cards  are  stocked  and  you  stand  no  chance.  I 
thought  to  stop  the  play  and  save  your  life ;  but  for 
the  first  time  in  years  luck  has  turned  against  me,  and 
when  we  meet  again  we  meet  as  enemies.  Still,  I 
like  the  way  you  hold  your  cards ;  and  though  you 
play  a  lone  hand  —  one  against  seven  —  still  luck  may 
pull  you  through,  so  not  knowing  how  'twill  end,  we'll 
part  man  style.  Your  heart  is  right,  your  eye  sure, 
and  your  finger  quick,  and  though  I'm  in  for  it,  and 
shall  play  the  game  through  and  kill  you  if  I  can,  yet, 
in  my  heart,  old  white-head,  I  trust  to  God  you'll  win, 
and  there's  Dick  Raymond's  hand  upon  it." 

"  And  there's  my  hand,  young  man,"  answered  the 
Trapper  promptly.  "  Ye've  come  on  a  fool's  arrand,  but 
yer  motive  was  right,  and  though  I  honestly  think  the 
devil  will  have  ye,  yit  it  may  be  the  Lord  of  marcy 
will  give  ye  a  chance  in  the  jedgment  —  leastwise,  I'll 
put  a  word  or  two  in  for  ye  when  yer  case  comes  up 
for  hearin'." 

"All  right,"  answered  the  gambler,  as  he  turned 


68  ADIRONDACK  TALES. 

away,  laughing  in  his  own  light,  reckless  fashion, 
"  small  change  is  good  when  you  can't  get  bills. 
There'll  be  enough  to  testify  the  other  way."  And 
entering  his  canoe  he  pushed  it  out  upon  the  lake  and 
paddled  the  best  he  might  toward  the  Point. 


THE  MYSTERY  OF  THE  WOODS.         69 


CHAPTER  V. 

FOR  a  moment  the  old  Trapper  stood  watching  the 
gambler  as  he  paddled  away ;  and  as  he  gazed  after 
the  departing  boat  his  face  settled  into  gravity,  and  he 
said,  — 

"  The  ball  will  open  in  short  order,  now,  for  sartin ; 
and  I  shouldn't  wonder  ef  the  vagabonds  started  off 
with  a  jig.  Lord !  won't  there  be  a  howlin'  on  that 
P'int  when  that  canoe  gets  in  and  the  boy  has  had  a 
chance  to  tell  'em  the  result  of  his  arrand !  I'm  sorry 
for  him.  Yis,  I'm  sorry  that  he  and  me  will  have  to 
pull  triggers  agin  each  other,  for  he's  young  yit,  and 
ought,  in  reason,  to  make  a  long  life  of  it ;  and  though 
he's  got  a  good  deal  of  a  cant  in  the  wrong  direction, 
still  it's  not  by  any  means  settled,  as  I  conceit,  to 
which  place  he  goes  arter  death,  and  his  shootin'  is 
sartinly  in  his  favor.  He's  acted  like  a  man  and  not 
like  a  vagabond  in  this  business,  anyway,"  continued 
the  Trapper,  after  a  pause,  "and  I'll  remember  it  to 
his  credit  ef  I  ever  line  the  sights  on  him.  Ah  me ! 
I've  seed  blood  enough,  and  hoped  to  eend  my  days  in 
peace,  as  a  man  should  whose  head  is  whitenin' ;  but 
the  vagabonds  on  the  P'int  be  onreasonable  and  the 
devil'll  be  to  pay  afore  another  mornin'." 

The  scene  on  the  Point  was  in  truth  very  like  what 
the  Trapper  had  predicted  when  the  gambler  had  told 


70  ADIRONDACK  TALES. 

the  renegades  the  result  of  his  mission.  The  behavior 
of  the  vulgar  ruffians  and  of  the  gambler  was  respect- 
ively characteristic.  His  going  had  been  in  the  face 
of  their  wishes ;  indeed,  in  spite  of  their  threats,  —  for 
they  felt  that  he  would  be  successful  in  his  mission, 
and  that  the  man  for  whose  blood  they  thirsted  would 
escape  them.  For,  that  one  man  should  set  himself  in 
opposition  to  and  defy  the  utmost  endeavors  of  seven, 
bent  on  his  destruction,  after  he  had  been  forewarned, 
and  a  chance  of  escape  given  him,  seemed  to  them  in- 
credible. Even  the  half-breed,  who  was  "captain"  of 
the  gang,  —  although  the  gambler  had  in  fact  the  ulti- 
mate authority,  especially  having  been  intrusted  by  his 
friend  with  the  care  of  the  secret  of  the  tent,  —  know- 
ing as  he  did,  and  had  ample  cause  of  knowing,  the 
determined  character  of  the  Trapper,  had  not  the 
shadow  of  doubt  in  his  mind  but  that  the  old  man, 
when  warned  by  the  gambler  of  the  formidable  forces 
arrayed  against  him,  would  conclude  that  resistance 
would  be  hopeless,  and  that  ordinary  prudence  required 
that  he  should  forego  his  determination  to  discover  the 
mystery  of  the  tent,  and  remain  quiescent,  even  if  he 
did  not  decamp  altogether. 

When,  therefore,  the  gambler,  at  rising,  had  told  the 
wretches  that  "the  game  must  stop,"  and  that  he  was 
going  down  to  call  on  the  Trapper  and  "  settle  the  little 
business  quietly,"  his  announcement  had  called  down 
upon  him  the  curses  of  the  entire  gang.  Indeed,  noth- 
ing but  the  supreme  coolness  of  the  man  who  trusted 
to  "luck,"  and  his  quiet  remark  as  he  took  the  duel- 


THE  MYSTERY  of  THE  WOODS.      71 

ling  pistols  from  their  case,  "that  if  any  of  them 
wanted  to  take  a  quiet  hand  with  him,  they  might 
measure  off  ten  paces  on  the  beach  and  see  who  held 
the  ^irds  for  this  little  game,"  had  prevented  them 
fronMesisting  by  force  his  departure  on  his  errand  of 
peace.  Knowing,  as  they  supposed  they  did,  what 
orii  be  the  upshot  of  the  matter,  and  not  doubting 
buf  that  the  gambler  had  brought  back  the  Trapper's 
pledge  that  he  would  leave  the  lake  or  at  least  forego 
his  effort  to  discover  the  secret  of  the  tent  and  thwart 
them  in  their  wickedness,  his  return  created  no  excite- 
ment. 

Not  doubting  the  result  of  the  gambler's  visit,  they 
remained  seated  in  sullen  silence  around  the  remnants 
of  the  breakfast  they  had  been  eating.  Not  until  the 
young  man  had  landed  and  actually  joined  their  circle 
and  begun  to  break  his  own  fast  on  the  fragments  of 
the  food  that  remained,  did  they  even  notice  his  com- 
ing. At  length  the  half-breed,  who  had  been  puffing 
huge  rolls  of  smoke  from  his  vicious-looking  mouth, 
fastened  his  glowing  eyes  on  the  gambler's  face,  and 
with  a  voice  whose  tone,  in  spite  of  his  assumed  indif- 
ference, trembled  with  hatred,  said,  — 

"  Well,  what's  the  result  ?  " 

The  gambler  finished  chewing  the  piece  of  meat  he 
had  placed  in  his  mouth,  and  when  he  had  swallowed 
it,  answered  in  his  quietest  tone  : 

"  The  game  goes  on" 

Had  a  bolt  from  the  sky  overhead,  descended  in  their 
midst,  the  astonishment  of  the  villains  could  not  have 


72  ADIRONDACK  TALES. 

been  greater.  For  an  instant  the  astonishment  kept 
them  silent,  and  then  a  yell  leaped  from  their  throats 
so  strong,  so  fierce,  so  wickedly  joyful,  that  it  might 
have  been  poured  from  the  throats  of  those  who  are 
said  to  be  only  happy  when  a  human  soul  falls  sud- 
denly into  their  power.  Up  rose  the  devilish  yell, 
sharp,  quick,  terrible,  and  then  silence. 

"  By  God,  he's  a  dead  man  !  "  shouted  the  half-breed, 
and  as  he  spoke  he  clinched  the  hand  that  held  the 
pipe  and  shook  it  fiercely  over  his  head,  while  the  pipe 
shivered  and  fell  in  fragments  over  his  person. 

For  a  moment  the  gambler  said  not  a  word.  He 
continued  eating  with  a  face  in  which  not  a  muscle 
tightened.  He  lifted  a  cup  of  warm  coffee  to  his  lips 
and  sipped  it  quietly,  then  carelessly  asked,  — 

"  When  do  you  deal  the  cards  ?  " 

"To-night!"  answered  the  half-breed.  "To-night, 
the  old  cuss  shall  die.  Twice  have  his  bullets  drawn 
my  blood.  Twice  has  he  killed  my  friends.  To-night 
my  knife  shall  be  in  his  heart."  And  the  look  on  the 
half-breed's  face  was  the  look  of  a  devil. 

For  a  moment,  again,  there  was  a  pause ;  then  the 
gambler  said,  — 

"  Shall  I  assist,  or  will  you  fellows  play  it  alone  ?  " 

"  No,  damn  you,"  answered  the  half-breed,  "  you 
shan't  assist.  You've  done  your  best  to  cheat  me  of 
my  revenge ;  you  shall  stay  here.  My  men  and  I  will 
wipe  him  out  ourselves.  I've  sworn  by  the  bones  that 
lie  buried  in  the  north  to  kill  him ;  and  John  Norton 
dies  to-night  —  dies  with  my  knife  in  his  chest  and  my 


THE  MYSTERY  OF  THE  WOODS.        73 

face  close  to  his  eyes."  And  as  he  spoke  the  villain 
drew  his  knife  and  brandished  it  wildly  over  his  head. 

"  Look  here,  you  dirty  dog,"  said  the  gambler,  and 
as  he  spoke  he  rose  to  his  feet,  "  once  before  on  this 
trip  you've  forgotten  your  manners  —  if  you  ever  had 
any — and  while  I'm  in  this  thing  to  serve  a  friend 
who  served  me  once,  and  shall  play  it  through  to  the 
last  card,  still,  I  want  you  and  your  gang  here  to  un- 
derstand that  if  you  or  they  forget  your  manners  again 
when  speaking  to  me,  I  will  upset  the  table.  I  don't 
imagine,"  continued  he,  as  he  looked  saucily,  but  with 
an  evil  glitter  in  his  eye,  into  one  after  another  of  the 
scowling  faces  that  were  around  him,  "  I  don't  imagine 
that  your  education  is  very  extended,  but  it  is  possible 
that  you  know  what  it  means  when  one  of  my  class 
says  that  if  the  game  isn't  played  fair  he  will  upset  the 
table ;  but  if  you  don't "  —  and  here  the  gambler 
whipped  a  six-shooter  from  his  pocket  —  "  I'll  say  right 
here  that  if  one  of  you  ever  gets  careless  of  speech 
when  talking  to  me,  I'll  lift  the  top  of  his  head  while 
the  word  is  on  his  tongue.  Do  any  of  you  chaps  want 
to  pick  this  up  ?  "  and  as  he  asked  the  question,  the 
deadly  glitter  in  his  eye  grew  deadlier. 

There  was  no  mistaking  the  effect  of  the  gambler's 
threat ;  for  scarce  had  his  mouth  closed,  before  the  out- 
laws broke  forth  in  abject  protestations  of  their  regret, 
if  they  had  ever  offended  him.  The  half-breed,  who 
was  cunning  enough  to  see  that  he  could  not  afford, 
at  such  a  juncture,  to  alienate  the  support  of  any  one, 
much  less  the  support  of  so  cool-headed  and  determined 


74  ADIRONDACK  TALES. 

a  man  as  the  gambler  —  was  loudest  of  all  in  his  apol- 
ogies. Indeed,  he  overdid  the  thing,  and  it  was  as 
much  to  interrupt  the  disagreeable  flow  of  his  speech, 
as  aught  else,  that  the  gambler,  breaking  suddenly  in 
upon  them,  said  laughingly,  — 

"  All  right ;  you  have  rather  a  poor  hand,  so  we  will 
pack  the  cards  and  start  anew.  I'll  stay  at  the  camp, 
and  you  go  down  and  murder  the  Trapper,  —  for  that's 
the  word  to  call  it.  But  you  had  better  notch  your 
cards,  for  the  old  fellow  holds  a  strong  hand,  and  you 
want  to  play  your  papers  about  right,  or  he'll  take  your 
tricks.  Do  you  want  the  giant,  or  are  you  five  enough  ? " 

"  I  don't  know,"  answered  the  half-breed,  "  call  him 
up  and  let  us  see  what  he  says." 

The  gambler  lifted  a  silver  whistle  to  his  lips,  and 
blew  a  signal  of  two  sharp  notes,  with  a  third  that 
prolonged  itself  quiveringly. 

In  a  moment  a  man  came  round  the  corner  of  the 
lodge,  from  the  direction  of  the  big  tent,  and  joined 
them. 

He  was  a  giant,  indeed.  In  height  he  was  at  least 
full  seven  feet,  built  in  burliest  proportions.  Judged 
from  the  athletic  standpoint  he  was  over  stout ;  but 
monstrous  as  was  his  size,  he  did  not  impress  one  as 
being  clumsy  in  action.  As  to  his  nationality  it  would 
be  difficult  to  decide.  His  skin  was  as  black  as  the 
blackest  negro's.  His  monstrous  bullet  head  was  mat- 
ted with  curls  of  coarsest  wool ;  yet  his  nose  was 
straight,  and  his  lips  were  of  moderate  thickness.  His 
cheek  bones  were  high,  and  a  straggling  beard  ran  its 


THE  MYSTERY  OF  THE  WOODS.  75 

circle  round  the  curvature  of  the  huge  face  from  ear 
to  ear.  His  eyes  were  black  in  color  and  mild  in  look. 
"A  huge,  benevolent  brute,  put  into  human  form," 
might  have  been  the  judgment  of  one  who  attempted 
to  analyze  the  strange  creation,  and  yet  a  brute,  who, 
though  naturally  of  sluggish  action,  if  once  thoroughly 
aroused,  might  prove  a  lion  in  strength  and  a  tiger  in 
ferocity. 

For  an  instant  he  stood  looking  mildly  at  the  group, 
and  then,  turning  his  eyes  toward  the  gambler,  he 
lifted  his  huge  hand  awkwardly  to  his  head,  and,  with  a 
more  awkward  attempt  at  a  salute,  said,  — 

"What  is  it,  kunnel  ?  " 

"I  am  not  a  colonel,  you  son  of  Ajax,"  said  the 
gambler,  and  he  laughed  merrily  up  into  the  ponderous 
face  in  front  of  him ;  "  what  do  you  call  me  colonel  for  ?" 

The  man  made  no  reply,  but  his  face  began  to  smile. 
I  use  the  word  began  discriminatingly,  for  certainly 
nothing  short  of  a  process,  including  the  passage  of  a 
certain  amount  of  time,  could  bring  a  change  to  so  vast 
a  countenance.  You  have  noted,  doubtless,  reader, 
that  small  dogs  bark  quick,  and  deliver  themselves  on 
the  instant ;  but  the  huge  mastiff  makes  preparation 
when  he  is  to  sound  forth  his  sonorous  signal.  So  it 
was  with  this  monstrous  human.  He  moved  slowly  to 
the  results  of  his  action.  Even  when  he  stepped,  you 
could  see  the  preparation  for  the  motion  going  on 
within  his  huge  bulk ;  and  when  he  raised  his  arm,  it 
was  as  if  within  his  frame  shafts  and  pulleys  had  been 
put  up  in  order  to  effect  the  movement. 


76  ADIRONDACK  TALES. 

We  say  he  leg  an  to  smile.  His  mouth  was  of  enor- 
mous proportions,  and  the  smile  began  at  either  corner 
as  a  ripple  begins  at  either  end  of  a  circular  beach  that 
indents  a  coast,  and  runs,  nearing  the  centre,  till  the 
two  racing  points  of  white  meet  in  the  middle  ;  so  his 
smile  starting  at  either  corner  of  his  mouth,  where  it 
recessed  itself  underneath  the  overhanging  cheeks,  ran 
along  the  curving  lines  of  his  lips  until  the  two  sections 
came  together  at  the  centre,  and  lifted  the  lips  apart 
in  laughter. 

It  was  only  after  full  time  had  transpired,  and  the 
change  which  occurs  in  a  countenance  passing  from 
gravity  to  laughter  had  by  this  laborious  process  been 
fully  developed,  that  the  huge  being  made  answer  to 
the  gambler's  interrogation,  and  then  he  said,  — 

"  Every  man's  a  kunnel  that  bosses  things." 

"  The  next  time  you  try  to  get  up  a  laugh,  you 
human  pyramid,"  responded  the  gambler,  "  I'll  time 
you.  Your  laugh  is  slower  than  a  sunrise,  but  I  will 
admit  that  it  fills  the  whole  world  when  it  comes,"  and 
the  gambler  laughed  like  a  happy  boy  at  his  own  wit, 
and  the  good-natured  benevolence  of  the  monster  in 
front  of  him. 

"What  do  you  want  me  for  ?  "  asked  the  man  after  a 
pause.  "  I  don't  like  to  leave  the  tent,  for  where  I'm 
put  I  stay.  You  called,  kunnel,  and  I  came,  for  I 
do  as  you  say,  as  I  was  told  by  him  who  pays  me,  but 
if  you  have  nothing  for  me  to  do  I  had  better  go  back." 

"  In  a  moment,"  answered  the  gambler,  "  our  friends 
here  are  going  on  a  little  trip,  —  going  to  make  a  call 


THE  MYSTERY  OF  THE  WOODS.        77 

-  and  they  didn't  know  but  that  you  would  like  to  go 
along  with  them." 

"  How  many  are  they  to  meet  ?  "  asked  the  giant. 

"  One,"  answered  the  gambler. 

The  man  might  be  slow  of  motion,  but  it  was  evi- 
dent that  he  was  no  fool,  nor  lacking  wit,  for  as  the 
gambler  answered  one,  he  looked  toward  the  five  out- 
laws, held  up  four  fingers  of  one  huge  hand,  and  one 
finger  of  the  other,  and  made  preparations  for  another 
laugh. 

The  implication  was  so  direct  that  the  outlaws  them- 
selves felt  the  sting  of  the  satire,  and  the  half-breed 
said,  speaking  suddenly,  while  his  eyes  gleamed  wick- 
edly at  the  giant,  — 

"  Stay  by  the  tent ;  we  don't  want  you ;  I  thought 
it  was  only  fair  to  offer  you  the  chance." 

The  giant  without  a  word  turned  slowly  on  his  heel, 
and  paced  with  lazy  gait  back  to  his  post.  The  gam- 
bler retired  to  the  lodge  and  proceeded  to  clean  the 
pistol  he  had  used  that  morning,  whistling  a  merry 
tune  as  he  worked,  although  he  knew,  as  he  said  to 
himself  as  he  stopped  for  a  moment  between  two  lively 
bars,  "  that  the  old  man's  life  is  at  stake,  and  the  cards 
are  packed." 

The  outlaws  drew  apart  by  themselves,  and  pro- 
ceeded to  concoct  their  murderous  plan. 

At  three  o'clock  they  ate  their  dinner,  and  left  the 
camp,  and  striking  into  the  woods  started  towards  the 
1.  upper's  cabin. 

The  gambler  who  was  seated  on  a  log  amusing  him- 


78  ADIRONDACK  TALES. 

self,  practising  some  favorite  tricks  with  a  pack  of 
highly  enamelled  cards,  saw  the  five  steal  away  on 
their  murderous  errand;  noted  that  four  were  armed 
only  with  their  knives,  but  that  the  half-breed  had 
knife  and  revolver  both,  and  as  the  last  man  disap- 
peared behind  a  balsam  thicket,  said,  — 

"Four  aces  and  a  joker!  They'll  take  the  pile, 
unless  the  old  man  upsets  the  table." 

\ 

At  six  o'clock  a  man  crept  up  to  the  corner  of  the 
Trapper's  cabin,  and  putting  his  ear  to  the  butts  of  the 
logs  listened.  Then  he  lifted  a  small  stick  that  lay  on 
the  ground  and  rubbed  it  up  and  down  the  cabin's  side 
with  sharp  quick  motions.  Not  a  sound  from  within. 

A  look  of  fiendish  joy  broke  over  the  half-breed's 
face  —  for  it  was  he  —  and  he  said,  — 

"  Gone,  dogs  and  all ;  we  have  got  him ! "  and  he 
swore  a  dreadful  oath ;  then  blew  a  sharp  whistle,  and 
passing  round  the  corner  of  the  cabin,  lifted  the  latch 
of  the  door  and  stepped  boldly  in.  In  a  moment  the 
four  companions  joined  him,  and  there,  within  the  old 
man's  cabin,  stood  his  five  enemies,  plotting  his  death. 

The  outlaws  acted  with  great  discretion  —  they  were 
thoroughly  under  the  control  of  the  half-breed,  and  he 
was  a  man  of  skill  and  experience  in  woodcraft  and 
accustomed  to  the  management  of  deadly  undertakings. 
By  his  orders  not  a  thing  was  touched  in  the  cabin,  not 
even  a  chair  was  moved  from  its  place.  In  the  inspec- 
tion that  the  villain  made  of  the  cabin  he  discovered  a 
trap-door,  which  lifted,  revealed  a  stairway  leading 


THE  MYSTERY  OF  THE   WOODS.  79 

into  the  cellar.  Down  this  the  half-breed  passed,  pistol 
in  hand  — and  when  he  returned  the  look  of  satisfac- 
tion on  his  face  showed  that  his  plan  was  formed. 

"  It's  just  as  I  expected,"  he  said  to  his  gang :  « the 
old  fool  has  gone  to  hide  his  dogs,  thinking  that  we 
wouldn't  attack  until  night,  and  left  the  way  to  his 
death  open  to  us.  It'll  be  a  quiet  job,  boys,"  he  con- 
tinued, "  as  I  fancied  when  I  ordered  you  to  leave  your 
shooting-irons  at  home,  for  the  knife  is  surer  than  a 
bullet  and  gives  no  alarm.  The  cellar  is  large  and 
deep,  the  trap-door  without  a  bolt,  and  the  stairway 
steep.  Down  into  the  cellar  with  you  and  loosen  the 
cleats  that  hold  the  top  stair,  so  that  should  the  old 
cuss  mistrust  anything,  or  come  into  the  cellar  by  acci- 
dent, he'll  come  head  foremost ;  and  if  his  fall  don't 
break  his  neck,  it'll  stun  him  for  a  moment,  and  our 
knives  will  finish  the  work.  So  down  with  you  while 
I  shut  the  door  and  sweep  up  the  dirt  we've  brought 
in  on  the  floor,  —  for  we  are  dealing  with  a  man  whose 
eye  is  keen  and  who  knows  how  to  use  it  when  his  life 
is  threatened." 

In  obedience  to  this  command,  the  four  men  de- 
scended into  the  cellar,  and  soon  had  the  cleat  of  the 
upper  stair  so  weakened  that  it  would  give  way  at  the 
least  pressure.  Then  the  leader,  having  arranged 
matters  rightly  up-stairs,  also  descended  carefully  into 
the  cellar,  and  all  with  their  knives  drawn  awaited  the 
coming  of  the  Trapper.  What  fate  is  it  that  waits  on 
human  life,  blinding  the  good  to  their  peril  and  per- 
mitting them  to  walk  into  the  deadly  toils  the  wicked 
have  laid  for  them  ? 


80  ADIRONDACK  TALES. 

That  same  hour,  four  miles  down  the  Racquette,  a 
passer  would  have  seen  a  boat,  drawn  up  into  a  little 
creek,  that  emptied  itself  into  the  river  at  the  base  of 
an  overhanging  hill.  Had  he  landed,  prompted  by  curi- 
osity, and  followed  a  trail  that  led  through  the  marsh 
grass,  some  forty  rods  beyond,  he  would  have  come 
upon  a  man  seated  on  the  banks  of  the  stream  at  the 
foot  of  a  pine,  with  two  dogs,  lying  one  on  his  right 
hand,  the  other  on  his  left,  with  their  muzzles  rest- 
ing on  either  leg.  Could  the  man  have  crept  near 
enough  to  have  heard  the  words  that  were  being 
spoken,  he  would  have  heard  the  Trapper  say, — 

"  It  be  a  leetle  hard,  pups,  yis  it  sartinly  be  a  leetle 
hard,  for  a  man  at  my  time  of  life  to  be  parted  from 
his  dogs,  considerin'  the  time  we  have  consorted  to- 
gether, and  the  comfort  we  be  to  each  other.  But  the 
vagabonds  have  sworn  to  pizen  ye,  and  though  ye  be 
sensible  pups,  yit  natur  is  natur,  and  it's  onreasonable 
to  think  that  ye  would  refuse  to  eat.  Leastwise  Rover, 
I  conceit  that  ye  would  sartinly  make  a  fool  of  yerself 
and  eat  meat  from  any  man's  hand  ef  ye  knowed  it  was 
pizen.  I've  better  thought  of  Sport,  for  the  Lad  was  a 
timid  boy,  and  didn't  consort  with  strangers,  and  a 
dog's  ways  be  the  ways  of  his  master,  as  I've  noted, 
and  I  sartinly  think  that  Sport  would  be  more  reason- 
able and  even  show  his  teeth  to  the  vagabonds  ef  they 
tempted  him." 

"  And  now,  pups,"  said  the  old  man,  as  he  rose  to 
his  feet,  "  there  is  no  tellin'  when  we  three  meet  ag'in, 
for  the  vagabonds  will  be  up  to  their  deviltry,  and  the 


THE  MYSTERY  OF  THE  WOODS.        81 

boy  isn't  here.  Here  is  meat  enough  to  last  ye  a  week, 
ef  ye  be  reasonable  in  yer  appetite,  but  ef  ye  be  waste^ 
ful  ye'll  sartinly  fast  without  any  credit  to  ye  afore 
the  week  be  ended.  The  water  is  within  reach,  and  ef 
wust  comes  to  wust,  and  the  man  that  leaves  ye  don't 
come  back  to  ye,  ye  can  use  yer  teeth  on  the  thong,  and 
take  yer  own  course  to  the  camp.  The  boy  will  find 
yer  there  when  he  comes  in,  and  yer  noses  will  keep  ye 
alive  until  then.  I  shall  sartinly  try  to  sarcumvent  the 
vagabonds,  but  my  years  be  many  and  it  may  be  the 
Lord's  time  to  call  has  come.  But  I  shan't  go  till  I'm 
sartin  he's  in  arnest,  and  I've  helped  him  out  a  leetle 
in  his  management  of  the  vagabonds  on  the  P'int. 
And  now,  pups,"  said  the  old  man  again,  as  he  turned 
to  go,  "  I  say  good-by  to  ye,  not  knowin'  what'll  hap- 
pen. Ef  ye  come  back  to  the  cabin  and  find  me  one 
way,  it'll  be  all  right.  Ef  ye  come  back  to  the  cabin 
and  find  me  another  way,  why  then  do  ye  stay  by  the 
cabin  till  the  boy  comes  in,  and  then  it  will  be  all  right ; 
for  he'll  know  what  to  do  with  me,  and  he'll  know 
what  to  do  with  ye,  for  we  talked  both  matters  over 
afore  our  last  partin'.  Yis,"  said  the  Trapper  to  him- 
self, as  he  turned  back  on  his  trail  and  started  to  his 
boat,  "  it  will  be  all  right  whichever  way  the  pups  find 
me ;  but  it's  hard  for  a  man  of  my  years  to  be  parted 
from  hh  dogs." 

It  was  well-nigh  on  to  eight  o'clock  when  the  Trapper 
approached  his  cabin,  which  he  did  with  the  utmost 
caution.  Not  until  he  had  circled  it  three  several  times 
with  narrowing  circles,  and  at  last  had  inspected  the 


82  ADIRONDACK  TALES. 

inside  of  his  home  through  a  hole  cut  in  the  wall  by 
himself  for  such  an  emergency,  did  he  venture  to  enter ; 
and  even  then  he  did  it  with  his  rifle  cocked  and  his 
finger  on  the  trigger.  But  no  one  was  within  the 
room ;  that  was  certain ;  and,  having  closed  the  door, 
he  proceeded  to  kindle  a  fire,  that  he  might  cook  his 
supper.  He  pulled  the  table  to  the  centre  of  the  room 
and  supplied  it  with  the  necessary  dishes,  pausing  now 
and  then  to  listen.  But  no  sound  disturbed  him,  and, 
confident  that  his  enemies  had  not  yet  moved,  he 
said,  — 

"It's  jest  as  I  thought.  The  vagabonds  ain't  the 
ones  to  strike  openly  in  the  daytime,  but  to  sneak  in 
upon  ye  when  ye  be  asleep.  I  conceited  that  I'd  have 
time  to  git  the  pups  off  and  be  back  afore  they  started 
their  diviltry,  and  I've  done  it.  The  cabin  is  a  good 
un,  and  I  can  hold  it  a  week  agin  a  rigiment  of  the 
scamps ;  and  ef  they  can  be  outlyin'  round  this  log- 
house  for  a  week  and  keep  their  number  good,  they're 
better  at  dodgin'  and  hidin'  than  I  think  they  be.  I'll 
go  down  and  see  ef  the  water  pipe  in  the  cellar  runs 
clear,  for  ef  they  actually  lay  siege  to  the  shanty  the 
man  inside  will  want  water  and  powder  both.  I'll 
draw  the  smaller  bar  across  the  door,  afore  I  go  down, 
for  there's  no  tellin'  how  soon  the  knaves  will  have  their 
ears  agin  the  logs,  and  I  don't  propose  to  have  them 
play  any  of  their  tricks  on  me.  A  square,  honest  sort 
of  a  fight  is  one  thing,  but  a  sneakin'  trick  is  another. 

"  There,"  continued  he,  as  he  dropped  the  smaller  of 
two  bars  across  the  stout  door,  "  that  wouldn't  stand  a 


THE  MYSTERY  OF  THE  WOODS.         83 

batterin'  ram,  for  sartain,  but  a  man  who  tried  to  push 
in  would  make  a  good  deal  of  noise,  and  when  he  got 
his  head  through  he'd  find  a  rifle  and  a  man  back  of  it 
lookin'  at  him.  They  mustn't  think  to  outwit  an  old 
man  whose  head  has  whitened  on  the  trail,  and  who 
know'd  the  meanin'  of  an  ambushment  afore  they  was 
born." 

So  saying,  the  Trapper  threw  an  extra  stick  on  the 
fire,  and  then  going  to  the  trap-door,  he  lifted  it  and 
started  to  descend.  But  no  sooner  had  he  put  his  full 
weight  upon  the  upper  stair,  than  the  slab,  whose  sup- 
port had  been  weakened  by  the  outlaws,  suddenly  gave 
way,  and  the  Trapper  dropped  like  a  plummet  into  the 
cellar. 


84  ADIRONDACK  TALES. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

THE  position  in  which  the  Trapper  was  thus  placed, 
through  the  cowardly  trick  of  his  enemies,  was  one  of 
extremest  peril.  It  is  doubtful  if,  in  his  long  life  — 
much  of  which  had  been  spent  amid  scenes  of  danger 
and  of  death  —  he  had  ever  been  in  greater  peril ;  for 
his  enemies  were  on  the  alert  and  expectant  of  the  very 
thing  that  had  happened.  Still,  expectant  as  they  were 
of  his  descent,  the  suddenness  of  it  had  taken  them,  as 
it  were,  by  surprise,  for  an  instant  elapsed  before  they 
threw  themselves  forward  upon  the  Trapper,  who,  they 
never  doubted,  was  lying  insensible  at  the  foot  of  the 
stairs. 

That  instant's  hesitation  on  their  part  saved  his  life. 
The  old  man,  by  the  rarest  of  good  fortune,  had  put 
his  feet  upon  the  stair  with  his  body  at  such  a  pose 
that  when  it  gave  way  under  him  it  did  not  pitch 
him  forward  —  in  which  case  he  would  surely  have 
struck  upon  his  head  —  but  shot  him,  like  a  stake 
driven  at  an  oblique  angle  into  the  water,  feet  fore- 
most down  the  stairway.  It  was  a  rapid  descent,  in 
truth,  and  one  calculated  to  confuse  the  minds  of 
most;  but,  habituated  as  he  was  to  startling  emer- 
gencies, his  faculties  were  held  well  in  hand,  and 
even  as  he  fell,  his  mind  with  lightning-like  action  had 
calculated  the  cause  of  the  mishap  and  drawn  the  true 


THE  MYSTERY  OF  THE  WOODS.         85 

conclusion,  that  his  enemies  themselves  were  in  the 
cellar.  As  good  luck  would  have  it,  the  stout  stair, 
—  an  oak  slab  some  five  feet  long  and  as  many  inches 
wide,  and  of  goodly  thickness,  —  which  had  given  way 
when  he  put  his  feet  upon  it  as  he  started  to  de- 
scend, had  gone  into  the  cellar  with  him.  And  when 
he  landed  at  the  bottom  it  was  actually  in  the  grasp 
of  one  of  his  hands. 

The  cellar  was  in  total  darkness.  Not  an  .enemy 
could  be  seen,  but  the  Trapper  knew  as  well  as  if  the 
cellar  was  flooded  with  light,  that  his  enemies  were 
there.  Without  hesitating  an  instant,  therefore,  he 
seized  the  stout  slab  in  his  hands,  and  with  a  yell  that 
seemed  to  lift  the  very  floor  over  his  head  he  plunged 
into  the  darkness,  swinging  the  rude  but  powerful 
weapon  that  merest  chance  had  placed  in  his  grasp, 
with  all  his  force,  right  and  left.  His  foes,  crouching 
with  their  knives  drawn,  in  the  centre  of  the  cellar, 
as  he  plunged  into  the  gloom  were  in  the  very  act  of 
throwing  themselves  upon  him.  The  first  sweep  that 
he  made  with  the  oaken  stair  hit  the  foremost  one  full 
in  the  breast  and  flung  him  back  as  if  he  had  been  but 
a  bundle  of  straw.  A  scream  of  startling  agony 
escaped  him  as  he  received  the  unexpected  and  painful 
blow. 

The  outlaws  were  caught  in  their  own  toils  and  taken 
in  their  own  net.  Their  very  numbers  were  to  their 
disadvantage,  for  in  the  darkness  they  could  but  be 
governed  by  sounds.  Nor  did  they  dare  to  strike  at 
any  form  that  brushed  by  them,  with  their  knives,  lest 


86  ADIRONDACK  TALES. 

they  should  stab  one  of  their  own  number.  Once,  the 
Trapper  stumbled  over  a  barrel  and  fell  prostrate,  with 
two  of  his  enemies  on  the  top  of  him ;  but  he  threw 
them  off  as  though  they  were  but  boys ;  and  seizing 
the  barrel  by  the  ends  he  sent  it  flying  through  the 
darkness  at  a  hazard  —  where  it  struck  or  whom  it  hit 
was  of  no  account  to  him. 

The  uproar  in  the  cellar  was  indescribable.  The 
scurrying  of  feet,  the  thud  of  bodies  as  they  struck 
against  the  wall,  the  scramble  and  plunge  of  forms  across 
the  floor,  oaths,  curses,  and  groans,  rose  out  of  the 
darkness  and  from  every  corner  of  the  cellar  as  if  pan- 
demonium itself  had  broken  loose.  Amid  it  all  the 
Trapper's  voice  rose  wrathful  and  loud :  — 

"Come  on,  ye  vagabonds !"  he  yelled.  "Come  on, 
ye  knaves.  I'll  give  ye  a  tech  of  the  jedgment. 
Git  into  a  man's  cellar,  will  ye  ?  Sneak  in  on 
him  when  he's  gone  to  hide  his  pups  from  yer  pizenin'. 
I'll  larn  ye  a  lesson  that'll  gin  ye  manners  in  yer 
devilment." 

It  was  by  a  common  movement,  suggested  by  in- 
stinct and  not  by  any  command  of  their  leader,  that  the 
outlaws,  recognizing  their  inability  to  contend  against 
their  invisible  enemy,  broke  in  a  wild  rush  for  the  stair- 
way and  scrambled  to  the  room  overhead.  But  the 
Trapper  was  not  a  man  to  be  left  behind  in  such  circum- 
stances. He  heard  their  feet  on  the  stairs,  and  he,  too, 
joined  them  in  their  rush. 

So  quick,  indeed,  was  he  in  his  action  that  he  reached 
the  upper  room  in  advance  of  one  of  the  outlaws ;  and 


THE  MYSTERY  OF  THE   WOODS.  87 

four  of  his  enemies,  with  himself  in  their  midst,  landed 
on  the  floor  overhead  at  the  same  instant. 

Without  giving  them  a  moment  to  recover  from  their 
confusion,  the  Trapper  renewed  the  contest  the  instant 
his  feet  struck  the  floor.  Indeed,  the  rage  of  the  old 
man  was  enough  to  appall  any  but  the  most  desperate 
of  characters.  His  eyes  flamed,  and  his  face  was  as  the 
face  of  a  lion  when  springing  upon  his  prey, — set, 
wrathful,  on  fire. 

The  first  man  that  aimed  a  blow  at  him  he  seized  by 
the  shoulder,  and  spun  him  round  as  if  he  had  been  a 
top ;  but  the  outlaws,  confident  in  their  numbers  and 
determined  as  he,  fought  him  with  desperate  energy. 
The  fifth  man  had  clomb  from  the  cellar,  and  with  a 
yell  actually  landed  upon  his  back,  but  before  he  could 
collect  himself  to  make  a  thrust  with  his  knife,  the 
Trapper's  hand  had  seized  him  by  the  collar,  and  with 
a  sudden  wrench  of  supreme  strength  had  dragged  him 
over  his  head  and  sent  him  reeling  against  his  comrades, 
who  were  in  the  act  of  rushing  at  him. 

But  successful  as  the  old  man  had  been  thus  far  in 
his  defence,  he  recognized  the  perilous  odds  with  which 
he  was  contending,  and  his  courage  rose  fiercely  to  the 
issue.  There  was  no  time  to  grasp  his  rifle,  nor  did 
the  half-breed  dare  to  use  his  pistol,  for  the  fight  was 
at  close  quarters  and  the  antagonists  inextricably  min- 
gled. Once  had  a  knife  drawn  the  old  man's  blood ; 
twice  had  his  clothes  been  cut,  and  his  shirt  had  been 
torn  from  his  breast  leaving  it  bare.  It  was  then  that 
the  Trapper,  —  perhaps  from  thought,  perhaps  in  the 


88  ADIRONDACK  TALES. 

wildness  of  his  rage,  as  he  swept  past  the  fire-place  in 
full  pursuit  of  the  half-breed,  whom,  above  all  others, 
he  longed  to  get  within  his  grasp,  —  seized  a  blazing 
brand  from  the  fire  and  flung  it  full  in  the  faces  of  his 
foes.  Another  followed,  and  another  still,  and  then 
seizing  the  fore  stick,  flaming  as  it  was  in  the  middle, 
the  old  man  turned  upon  his  enemies  like  a  lion  at  bay. 
The  blazing  brands  which  he  flung  at  those  thirsting 
for  his  blood,  falling  on  floor  and  bed  and  skins  alike, 
had  set  the  cabin  on  fire,  and  smoke  already  began  to 
fill  the  room. 

At  this  juncture,  when  the  confusion  was  at  its  height, 
and  the  shouts  and  noise  of  the  combatants  deadened 
all  sounds,  the  door  of  the  cabin  was  suddenly  broken 
open,  and,  as  the  door  swung  inward,  a  man  burst  into 
the  room.  And  a  most  remarkable  looking  man  he 
was. 

Tall  ?  Yes,  taller  than  the  Trapper  by  half  a  head. 
Stout  ?  No,  lean  to  thinness ;  a  man  with  legs  and  arms 
of  such  enormous  length  that  the  trunk  of  his  body 
seemed  but  a  handle  created  by  facetious  nature  for 
their  accommodation.  His  clothes,  as  compared  to  his 
body  which  they  fractionally  covered,  looked  like  an 
abbreviated  sentence.  There  was  an  expression  of  de- 
spair in  his  pantaloons,  reaching  as  they  did,  barely  to 
his  ankle-joints,  as  if  they  had  struggled  to  stretch 
themselves  to  the  necessary  limit,  but  had  ignominiously 
failed,  and  were  in  a  state  of  chronic  disappointment  at 
their  want  of  success  —  perhaps  of  sublime  resignation. 
His  coat  was  of  the  "swallow-tail"  cut,  short  in  the 


THE  MYSTERY  OF  THE  WOODS.         89 

waist,  and  disproportionally  elongated  in  the  tails.  The 
bony  wrists  protruded  beyond  the  sleeves,  as  if  the 
hands  intended  some  day  to  part  company  entirely  with 
them.  The  collar  rolled  back  from  the  spare,  skinny 
neck,  which  was  strongly  individualized  with  an  "Ad- 
am's apple"  of  awkward  size.  His  head  was  small; 
and  thatched  with  a  light  wisp  of  yellowish  hair.  Fore- 
head narrow  but  high.  Eyebrows  of  the  thinnest.  Eyes 
small,  gray,  and  sparkling.  Mouth  large;  lips  thin; 
while  a  band  of  straggling  whiskers  —  each  hair  stand- 
ing apart  from  its  fellows,  like  awkward  country  boys 
at  a  party  before  they  have  been  introduced,  and  don't 
know  what  to  do  with  themselves  —  ran  their  bushy 
hedge  round  the  face  from  ear  to  ear.  A  Yankee  ? 
Undoubtedly.  A  thoroughbred  Yankee  ?  Decidedly. 
Not  a  cross  of  blue-blood  in  his  veins.  A  pure,  un- 
adulterated Yankee ;  true  to  his  type,  individual,  extra- 
ordinary. 

Into  the  cabin,  as  we  have  -said,  this  astonished  and 
astonishing  individual  burst,  as  the  door  flew  open  — 
burst  and  stood!  For  a  moment,  we  say,  he  stood 
staring  with  open  mouth  and  bulging  eyes  at  the  dread- 
ful scene.  The  old  Trapper,  brand  in  hand,  facing  his 
five  enemies,  only  partially  revealed  amid  the  smoke : 
the  blazing  bed,  the  smoking  skins,  the  overturned 
table,  and  scattered  chairs,  and  as  he  took  in  the  awful 
confusion  of  the  scene,  he  breathed  a  long  breath, 
slipped  a  pack  from  his  back,  and,  as  he  straightened 
himself  to  his  full  height  again,  exclaimed,  — 

"Gosh!" 


90  ADIRONDACK  TALES. 

And  then,  fearless  of  danger  and  with  a  shout  like  a 
boy's  when  he  breaks  from  the  schoolhouse  toward  the 
play-ground,  he  launched  himself  into  the  midst  of  the 
outlaws. 

His  manner  of  fighting  was  as  extraordinary  as  his 
appearance,  and  the  spirit  which  he  exhibited  under  the 
circumstances  would  have  provoked  generous  laughter, 
from  observers,  for  he  went  into  the  fight  not  merely 
with  entire  fearlessness  of  danger,  but  with  the 
boisterous  abandon  with  which  a  plucky  but  awkward 
youth  at  a  New  England  "  Training "  goes  into  a 
wrestling  match.  In  spite  of  his  length  and  leanness, 
his  agility  was  demonstrated  by  the  first  leap  he  made, 
for  it  landed  him  in  the  very  midst  of  the  outlaws. 

Indeed,  it  was  due  to  the  suddenness  of  his  attack, 
beyond  doubt,  that  he  escaped  the  deadly  thrusts  of  the 
knives  with  which  the  villains  were  armed,  and  whose 
points  otherwise  would  have  met  in  his  heart.  As  it 
was,  he  was  in  their  very  midst  before  they  were  aware 
of  it,  and  before  they  could  make  a  motion  he  had  swept 
his  long  arms  around  two  of  them,  and  had  started  for 
the  door. 

One  wriggled  himself  out  of  his  clutch,  and  falling 
on  to  the  floor,  seized  hold  of  the  long  tails  of  his  coat, 
endeavoring  to  drag  him  down.  But  the  pendant  ex- 
tremities of  the  garment  parted  from  the  body,  and 
the  Yankee  reached  the  doorway  with  the  kicking, 
screaming,  and  swearing  outlaw  in  his  grasp ;  and 
"  canting  "  him  up  with  a  motion  of  his  knee  as  if  he 
had  been  a  bag  of  meal,  the  Down-Easter  pitched 


THE  MYSTERY  OF  THE  WOODS.         91 

him   headlong  through   the   doorway   into   the   dark- 
ness :  then  turned. 

Nor  did  he  turn  an  instant  too  soon,  for  the  villain 
who  had  escaped  his  clutch  had  regained  his  feet,  and 
vengefully  mad,  had  bounded  forward  and  was  in  the 
very  act  of  plunging  his  knife  into  the  Yankee's  back. 

"  Darn  ye  !  "  yelled  the  Yankee,  as  he  warded  off  the 
blow  with  one  of  his  bony  arms,  "  tear  a  feller's  jacket, 
will  ye  ?  Take  that ! "  and  with  the  other  hand  he 
gave  his  antagonist  a  slap  in  the  face  that  sent  him 
reeling  backward  into  the  smoke. 

The  Trapper  had,  in  the  meantime,  not  been  idle. 
The  instant  the  Yankee  had  landed  in  the  midst  of  the 
outlaws,  the  old  man,  dropping  the  blazing  log  he  held 
in  his  hand,  rushed  headlong  upon  them.  He  struck 
the  group  with  such  violence  that  his  three  foes  and 
himself  rolled  upon  the  floor  together.  And  when  the 
Yankee  had  knocked  his  assailant  backward  into  the 
smoke,  and  looked  for  another  antagonist,  little  could 
he  see  but  a  writhing  bunch  of  legs  and  bodies.  In  an 
instant  a  man  was  flung  headlong  out  of  the  smoke  as 
if  he  were  a  log,  and  fell  with  a  heavy  thud,  quivering 
at  his  feet. 

"  Pass  'em  out,  old  man !  "  yelled  the  Yankee,  as  he 
grabbed  the  stunned  outlaw  by  the  nape  of  his  neck  and 
one  leg,  and  pitched  him  through  the  doorway,  "  pass 
'em  out :  and  be  darnation  quick  about  it,  for  the  chim- 
ney don't  draw  wuth  a  cent,  and  the  damper's  down. 
Jerusalem !"  he  shouted,  as  another  body  —  this  time 
the  half-breed's — was  pitched  out  of  the  smoke  with 


92  ADIRONDACK  TALES. 

such  violence,  that  striking  the  Yankee  full  in  the  chest, 
it  nearly  knocked  him  over,  "Jerusalem  !  there's  some- 
body in  that  smoke  that's  good  at  wrastlin',  I  sweow. 
Go  it,  ye  blue-skinned  punkin,"  he  yelled  as  he  pitched 
the  half-breed  through  the  door,  "  that's  the  way  we  du 
it  deown  in  Maine !  "  And  as  he  grabbed  another  body 
as  it  reeled  out  of  the  smoke  and  passed  it  with  a  push 
into  the  darkness,  he  screamed,  "  Go  it,  old  feller, 
you're  a  ripper.  — i  How  doth  the  little  busy  bee  im- 
prove each  shinin'  hour.'  That's  the  dandruff !  "  he 
yelled,  as  still  another  form  staggered  towards  him,  and 
he  lifted  him  with  a  kick,  outward.  "  How  many  more 
have  ye  got  in  that  hill  ?  Rake  'em  out ;  sling  'em  this 
way,  tops  and  all.  Here's  the  boss  tater,"  and  he  made 
a  rush  at  a  huge  form  as  it  plunged  toward  him  out  of 
the  smoke,  "  whoop-p  "  — 

But  the  yell  died  out  in  his  mouth  as  he  sent  it,  for 
instead  of  lifting  the  man  as  he  intended,  the  man  lifted 
him ;  lifted  him  as  if  he  had  been  an  infant,  and  then 
as  suddenly  dropped  him  upon  the  floor ;  and  the  Yan- 
kee, scrambling  to  his  feet,  stood  face  to  face  with  the 
Trapper. 

For  a  moment  the  two  looked  at  each  other,  and  then 
the  Trapper  said,  — 

"This  isn't  jest  the  time  for  talkin',  young  man. 
You've  done  me  a  good  turn,  and  John  Norton  won't 
forgit  it.  You'll  find  three  buckets  of  water  to  the  left 
of  the  fire-place.  The  fire  is  of  no  great  account,  for 
blankets  and  skins  burn  slow.  Open  the  winders  and 
we'll  put  things  to  rights.  No,  no,  leave  it  open,"  con- 


THE  MYSTERY  OF  THE   WOODS.  93 

tinued  the  old  man,  as  the  Yankee  started  to  close  the 
door,  "  the  knaves  have  had  enough  of  it  for  one  night, 
and  are  more  eager  to  git  to  their  camp  than  to  try  us 
agi'n.  Ef  ye  shet  the  door  we'll  be  smoked  like  a  ham 
in  a  barrel  when  the  punk  is  under  it.  Lively,  boy,  or 
the  skins  and  the  blankets  will  look  like  a  pelt  with  a 
dozen  buckshot  through  it." 

It  was  some  ten  minutes,  perhaps,  before  the  fire  was 
wholly  extinguished,  and  the  smoke  blown  from  the 
room.  Then  the  Trapper  shut  and  barred  the  door  and 
closed  the  windows,  which  were  made  by  cutting  a  sec- 
tion out  of  the  solid  logs  which  composed  the  sides  of 
the  building,  the  section  cut  out  being  hung  on  hinges 
so  that  the  windows,  in  case  of  necessity,  could  be 
stopped  like  the  port-holes  of  a  man  of  war.  When  the 
door  and  windows  had  thus  been  securely  fastened,  the 
Trapper  started  the  fire  anew  in  the  huge  fire-place,  and 
lighting  a  candle,  placed  it  on  the  centre  of  the  table, 
which  had  been  put  in  its  customary  place  ;  then  took 
a  survey  of  the  premises.  In  different  parts  of  the 
room,  the  Yankee  had  found  three  knives  and  the  re- 
volver of  the  half-breed.  These  he  placed  on  the  table 
and  then  he  turned  toward  the  Trapper. 

The  old  man  looked  the  younger  one  over  from  head 
to  foot  for  at  least  a  minute,  and  then  he  said,  — 

"  Young  man,  what  may  I  call  ye  ?  " 

"Waal,  neow,"  answered  the  Yankee,  "that's  a 
sticker.  I've  had  so  many  names  that  I  don't  exactly 
know  what  to  call  myself;  I  sweow  ef  I  du!  But 
I  reckon  the  old  folks  knew  about  what  they 


94  ADIRONDACK  TALES. 

was  up  to  when  they  sot  me  a-goin',  and  they  called 
me  Jim." 

"  Jim  who  ?  "  asked  the  Trapper. 

"  Waal,  neow,"  answered  the  Yankee,  "  that's  the  fun 
of  it,  darn  ef  'taint.  I  don't  b'lieve  ye  could  hit  it  ef 
ye  guessed  all  night.  Ye  see  I  was  born  deown  in 
Maine,  and  there's  more  long  names  deown  in  Maine 
than  eny  other  state  in  Ameriky.  Neow  ye  needn't 
b'lieve  it,  but  there's  lakes  deown  there  that  has  names 
longer  than  the  lakes  they  belong  to,  by  a  long  shot ; 
I'll  be  darned  ef  there  aint.  Ye  can  travel  half  a  day 
and  ye  can't  git  reound  the  end  of  'em." 

"  Is  your  name  a  long  one  ?  "  asked  the  Trapper. 

"  That's  the  fun  of  it,"  answered  the  Yankee,  "  I'll 
be  darned  ef  'taint.  There  aint  a  long  name  in  Maine 
that  belongs  to  a  man ;  the  lakes  used  them  all  up,  I 
sweow  ef  they  didn't.  There  isn't  a  double-bladed,  jack- 
knife  name  in  the  hull  state.  Long?  Jerusalem,  I 
reckon  'taint  long.  It's  shorter  than  a  rabbit's  tail." 

"  Out  with  it,  out  with  it,"  interrupted  the  Trapper ; 
"what  shall  I  call  ye?" 

"  Waal,  neow,  it  don't  make  eny  difference  what  ye 
call  me,  darned  ef  it  does ;  but  I  jest  as  soon  tell  ye 
the  name  the  old  folks  started  me  with  as  not, 
It's  the  only  thing  they  ever  did  give  me  eout  and 
eout,  and  it  aint  wuth  a  copper,  I  sweow  ef  'tis.  My 
name  is  Jim." 

"  Jim  what  ?  "  asked  the  Trapper  again. 

"BEAN,"  replied  the  Yankee,  "Jim  Bean.  Darn 
mean  name,  ain't  it  ?  " 


THE  MYSTERY  OF  THE   WOODS.  95 

"  I  never  heerd  the  name  afore,"  replied  the  Trapper, 
"  but  it's  good  enough  ef  it  sarves  its  parpose." 

"Never  heerd  the  name!"  exclaimed  the  Yankee, 
"  waal,  I  sweow  that's  funny.  Why,  there's  more  Beans 
deown  in  Maine  than  ye  could  put  into  a  ten  acre  lot  ef 
the  stumps  was  all  eout." 

"  What  do  ye  do  ?  "  again  interrupted  the  Trapper. 

"  Waal,"  answered  the  Yankee,  "  that's  the  fun  of  it. 
I  kin  du  enything,  I'll  be  blowed  ef  I  can't.  The  Beans 
are  a  cute  set.  There  aint  one  of  the  hull  tribe  that 
can't  make  money  faster  than  thunder.  We're  mighty 
smart  on  a  swap,  I  kin  tell  ye.  Got  enything  to  trade, 
eh  ?  I  haint  made  a  cent  in  so  long  that  I  feel  like  a 
deacon  at  a  funeral,  darn  ef  I  don't.  Come,  neow,  I'll 
give  ye  twenty  cents  for  that  knife,  sure  as  Moses,"  and 
the  Yankee  lifted  one  of  the  three  knives  from  the  table 
and  rubbed  the  hilt  —  a  plate  of  solid  silver  —  on  his 
breeches'  leg,  while  the  glitter  of  greed  came  into  his 
little  gray  eyes. 

"  Ye  be  welcome  to  the  knife,  young  man,  ef  ye  want 
it.  It  belongs  to  the  half-breed,  and  has  done  devil's 
work  enough,  for  sartin." 

"Jerusalem!"  exclaimed  the  Yankee,  "you  don't 
mean  to  give  me  the  knife,  du  ye  ?  Darn  ef  I  aint  a 
fool.  I  thought  the  handle  was  silver?"  and  the  Yan- 
kee looked  searchingly  up  into  the  old  man's  face. 

"  So  it  is,  boy,  so  it  is,"  answered  the  Trapper ;  "  solid 
silver  it  is,  and  the  blade  is  a  good  un  too." 

"And  du  you  give  it  to  me,  —  me,  Jim  Bean  ?  "  gasped 
the  Yankee ;  "  why,  it's  wuth  five  dollars  ! " 


96  ADIRONDACK  TALES. 

"Twice  that,  twice  that,"  responded  the  Trapper, 
"  twice  that  at  least,  for  the  blade  is  a  good  un,  and  ye 
be  welcome  to  it ;  and  I  wish  it  was  wuth  more'n  it  is, 
for  ye  have  done  me  a  good  turn,  and  the  Lord  knows 
ye  desarve  it." 

"  Waal,  I  swear ! "  It  was  all  the  Yankee  could  say. 
His  astonishment  was  too  great  for  speech. 

"  How  did  ye  happen  to  come  as  ye  did  ?  "  asked  the 
Trapper.  "  The  Lord  sartainly  sent  ye  to  help  an  old 
man  in  his  trouble." 

"  No,  he  didn't,"  answered  the  Yankee.  "  I  come  in 
on  my  own  hook,  and  a  darn  mean  time  I've  had  of  it. 
Ye  see  I've  got  my  pack  full  of  stuff  to  peddle  with  — 
the  Beans  are  great  peddlers  —  and  they  told  me  at  the 
Saranac  where  I  was  peddlin  that  ef  I  could  git  a  boat 
I  could  peddle  clear  through  the  woods,  and  sell  the 
boat  when  I  got  through  for  twice  what  I  paid  for  it, 
and  I  swallered  it  hull  —  darn  ef  I  didn't.  And  I've 
rowed  that  boat  mor'n  a  thousand  miles  and  never 
found  a  house.  Ef  I  ever  git  back  to  them  fellers,  I'll 
sell  them  some  watches  that'll  make  them  remember 
Jim  Bean  as  long  as  they  live,  and  half  of  eternity  — 
darn  ef  I  don't  —  and  that's  the  way  I  come  here." 

"  The  Lord  sent  ye,  boy,  the  Lord  sartainly  sent  ye," 
answered  the  Trapper. 

"  Dunno  abeout  that,"  persisted  the  Yankee,  "  it's 
mighty  pious  to  say  so,  and  there  never  was  a  Bean 
that  wasn't  a  church  member,  darn  ef  there  was.  Ye 
see  we're  a  sort  of  religius  and  well-to-do  family.  The 
old  man  is  a  deacon,  and  the  way  he'd  pray  deown  in 


THE  MYSTERY  OF  THE  WOODS.         97 

the  old  red  schoolhouse,  at  the  crotch  of  the  road,  after 
the  turnups  was  pulled,  was  amazin'.  Jerusalem !  how 
I've  heerd  dad  jest  go  tearin'  through  the  Scriptur', 
Friday  nights,  in  that  old  schoolhouse  when  the  elder 
was  there,  and  he  got  fairly  settled  deown  tu  it ;  but  it 
all  depended  on  the  start.  I  always  knew  when  he  was 
goin'  to  du  it  up  brown  by  the  way  he  started  off ;  but 
ef  he  got  a  good  square  start  —  got  the  two  or  three 
fust  verses  of  Scriptur'  out  right  —  there  wasn't  any 
power  under  Heaven  could  fetch  him  up  till  he  landed 
with  a  regular  Bean  flourish  on  the  other  side  of 
Jordan. 


98  ADIRONDACK  TALES. 


CHAPTER   VII. 

"  I  am  not  sartin  that  I  understand  the  drift  of  yer 
talk,  boy,"  answered  the  Trapper,  "  for  yer  words  be  new 
to  me,  and  ye  speak  of  people  and  things  that  I  never 
heerd  of  afore.  I  have  heerd  men  pray,  —  yis,  the  Lad 
was  sartinly  gifted  in  that  direction  — and  I  be  a  prayin 
man  myself  when  the  mood  be  on  me,  but  my  prayin 
be  done  with  my  eyes  and  my  feelin's,  and  not  with  the 
tongue.  The  Moravians  pray  in  a  house,  and  a  noisy 
time  they  make  of  it,  for  they  shout  as  ef  they  was  am- 
bushin'  the  Lord,  and  wanted  to  scare  him  into  doin'  as 
they  wish ;  but  I  pray  in  an  orderly  way,  and  without 
use  of  the  tongue,  and  in  a  house  not  builded  by  the 
hand  of  man ;  and  in  this  I  conceit  I  have  the  right  of 
it  as  agin  the  Moravians,  —  not  to  say  that  their  inten- 
tions aint  right,  for  a  man  with  a  head  as  white  as 
mine  shouldn't  jedge,  but  still  I  conceit  I  have  the  right 
of  it,  for  the  Scriptur'  says  that  the  Lord  of  Marcy 
looketh  at  the  heart ;  and  Henry  has  told  me  that  the 
Master  himself  never  prayed  in  housen,  but  acted  like 
a  man  with  good  jedgment,  and  went  up  into  a  mount- 
ain when  he  prayed,  not  to  speak  of  his  love  of  the 
lakes  of  the  country  where  he  lived.  Yis,  yis,  it  may 
be  all  right  that  yer  father  prayed  in  the  schoolhouse, 
as  ye  say  he  did ;  and  I  don't  say  that  a  man  shouldn't 
git  arnest-like  at  times  when  talkin'  with  the  Lord,  for 


THE  MYSTERY  OF  THE   WOODS.  99 

they  be  two  sides  to  everything,  and  he  would  sartinly 
hear  both  sides  of  the  case,  and  would  rather  like,  as  I 
conceit,  that  a  man  should  make  the  p'ints  clear,  and 
lay  the  sense  of  the  matter  down  strong.  But  a  school- 
house  is  a  onfortunit  place  to  pray  in,  for  sartin,  onless 
the  man  be  as  full  of  words  as  a  young  hound  is  of 
noise,  in  which  case  I  don't  conceit  it  makes  much  dif- 
ference where  the  pray  in'  be  done ;  for  a  man  whose 
prayin'  be  all  noise  is  pritty  sure  to  miss  the  Lord  as 
a  young  hound  misses  the  game.  The  quiet  hunter 
brings  the  buck  home,  and  the  man  who  talks  least  and 
thinks  most  gits  the  ear  of  the  Lord 'fust,  as  I  jedge." 

The  old  Trapper  had  delivered  this  opinion  with  grav- 
ity of  voice  and  countenance,  and  with  the  deliberation  of 
one  accustomed  in  matters  of  moment  to>use  the  fewest 
possible  words.  The  Yankee  was  not  without  fine  feel- 
ing, as  was  evidenced  by  the  respectful  manner  with 
which  he  listened  to  the  Trapper  as  he  gave  him  thus 
sententiously  his  opinion  of  praying.  Perhaps  the 
Yankee  felt  that  the  discussion  had  passed  beyond  his 
depth ;  perhaps  the  feeling  of  deference  to  the  other's 
age  and  apparent  wisdom  restrained  his  speech ;  but  from 
whatever  cause,  he  remained  silent,  and  the  Trapper, 
after  a  moment's  pause,  resumed,  his  mind  reverting  to 
the  struggle  through  which  he  had  just  passed,  and  the 
peril  he  had  just  escaped  : 

"  I  have  been  in  many  a  scrimmage,"  he  said,  "  sence 
my  feet  fust  struck  the  trail,  and  few  be  the  hills  atwixt 
here  and  the  great  lakes  that  haint  heerd  the  crack  of 
my  rifle,  when  lead  was  sent  for  a  parpose  and  powder 


100  ADIRONDACK  TALES. 

wasn't  wasted ;  but  I  doubt  ef  I  was  ever  in  a  wuss  fix 
than  ye  found  me  in  to-night,  for  they  had  fairly  out- 
witted a  man  that  peace  had  made  forgitful  of  his 
caution ;  and  they  had  me  at  odds,  and  in  a  place  where 
the  odds  counted  agin  me  ;  and  ef  ye  hadn't  come,  boy, 
as  ye  did,  the  Lord  of  Marcy  only  knows  how  it  would 
have  ended." 

"  Waal,  I  sweow  it  was  gittin'  a  little  hazy  when  I 
bust  the  door  open  and  walked  in  on  ye.  Ye  see  I 
heerd  yeou  when  I  fust  landed  deown  in  the  beach,  and 
couldn't  think  what  ye  was  up  tew,  darn  ef  I  could. 
Jerusalem !  what  a  racket  ye  did  make  !  I  thought  at 
fust  ye  was  havin'  a  regilar  old-fashioned  break-down 
with  no  gals  at  it,  and  apple-jack  plenty,  and  so  I 
histed  along  to  jine  in,  for  I'm  a  regilar  Bean  at  any 
such  sort  of  a  twist,  and  nine  in  the  pod  at  that ;  so  I 
histed  along  darnation  quick,  and  rapped  at  the  door, 
for  there  wasn't  a  ticket  to  be  had  for  love  nor  money, 
darn  ef  there  was." 

"So  ye  knocked  at  the  door,  did  ye?"  asked  the 
Trapper  laughingly. 

"  Reckon  I  did,"  returned  the  Yankee,  "  and  darned 
little  good  the  knocking  did ;  and  I  made  up  my  mind 
ye  was  mighty  unneighborly,  or  else  the  floor  was  full 
and  there  wasn't  a  chance  for  another  pole  in  the 
garden." 

"  So  it  was,  boy,  so  it  was,"  interrupted  the  Trapper, 
laughing.  "  Yis,  the  floor  was  full,  for  sartain,  but 
what  did  ye  think  had  become  of  the  fiddler  ?  " 

"  I  didn't  know,"  answered  the  Yankee,  "  unless  he 


THE  MYSTERY  OF  THE  WOODS.  101 

was  corned,  and  I  thought  yeou  was  all  on  a  tare,  I  did 
neow,  I  swanny,  I  did,  for  yeou  was  goin'  it  with  yer 
boots  on  "  — 

"  How  did  ye  come  to  break  open  the  door  ?  "  inter- 
rupted the  Trapper,  whose  sense  of  humor  was  thor- 
oughly quickened  at  the  experience  the  Yankee  was 
vividly  narrating. 

"  I  got  my  -dander  up.  Yeou  see  the  Beans  are 
full  of  snuff,  and  after  I'd  stood  there  try  in'  tew 
make  yeou  fellers  inside  hear  me,  longer  than  a 
funeral,  I  was  madder  than  a  hornet ;  and  I  walloped 
that  old  door  in  a  way  to  raise  the  blisters,  darn 
ef  I  didn't. " 

"  How  did  ye  shove  it  open  ?  "  queried  the  Trapper. 
"  Did  ye  have  to  put  yer  strength  to  it  ?  " 

"  Shove  !  "  answered  the  Yankee,  "  I  didn't  get  it 
open  by  shovin',  not  by  a  long  shot.  Gosh !  that  door 
was  stouter  than  a  stun  fence.  I  shoved,  and  I  shoved; 
and  all  the  while  yeou  fellers  were  cuttin'  it  down  like 
jiminy,  inside.  The  more  I  shoved  the  madder  I  got. 
By'm-by  I  got  madder  than  a  Guinea  hen,  and  I  drawed 
off  and  gin  it  a  regular  old  ripper  of  a  kick." 

"Ye  did  well,  ye  did  well,  boy,"  interrupted  the 
Trapper,  "yis,  ye  did  it  jedgmatically,  for  a  sudden 
blow  parts  a  fastenin'  when  a  slower  un  wont.  But 
what  did  ye  think  of  the  dance  when  ye  got  in ;  didn't 
it  look  a  leetle  smoky  for  a  frolic  ?  " 

"  Darned  ef  it  didn't,"  answered  the  Yankee ;  "  I  tell 
ye  I  was  all  tuck  back,  like  a  feller  dropped  deown  in  a 
graveyard.  I  sweow  if  I  wa'n't." 


102  ADIRONDACK  TALES. 

"  What  did  ye  make  of  it,  boy,  what  did  ye  make  of 
it  ?  "  asked  the  Trapper. 

"  Make  of  it  ?  "  answered  the  Yankee,  "  there  wa'n't 
but  one  thing  tew  make  of  it,  from  the  Bean  p'int  of 
view,  and  that  was,  that  five  miserable  sneaks  was 
pitchin'  into  one  old  man ;  and  though  I  come  in  to 
peddle,  and  never  git  into  any  fusses,  yit  there  never 
was  a  Bean  on  our  side  of  the  family,  that  didn't  love 
wrastlin'  better  than  he  loved  eatin',  I'll  be  bio  wed  ef 
there  was.  And  when  I  see  them  fellers  goin'  for  ye, 
I  fairly  itch  to  git  hold  of  'em,  so  I  went  for  'em  like  a 
smack  for  a  school  of  herrin'.  Jerusalem  crickets! 
didn't  we  sorter  yank  'em  reound,  though  ?  Gosh  !  yeou 
sent  'em  out  of  that  smoke  like  taters  eout  of  the  tail 
of  a  cart.  But  how  did  they  come  to  pay  ye  a  visit  ? 
It  must  be  a  darned  mean  neighborhood  reound  here. 
Ye  don't  invite  'em  often,  do  ye  ?  " 

"  I  didn't  ax  'em  to  come  at  all,  boy ;  and  they  don't 
belong  to  these  parts.  No :  they  be  vagabonds  from 
abroad ;  and  their  arrand  to  the  woods  be  an  arrand  of 
deviltry,  for  sartin.  And  they  knowed  John  Norton 
would  be  arter  'em  in  their  wickedness,  and  so  they 
conceited  to  murder  me  ;  and  they'd  done  it,  too,  ef  the 
Lord  hadn't  sent  ye  to  help  me  as  ye  did." 

"Reckon  not,  old  man,"  interrupted  the  Yankee. 
"  Yeou  was  a  tarnal  lively  corpse  when  I  bust  in  the 
door.  I  sweow  to  gracious,  yeou  was  ;  and  yeou'd  wal- 
loped the  whole  set,  darned  ef  yeou  wouldn't,  or  1 
don't  know  anything  about  wrastlin'." 

"It  may  be,  it  may  be?"  returned  the  Trapper.     "Foil 


THE  MYSTERY  OF  THE  WOODS.       103 

a  man  in  the  right  is  stronger  than  them  that  be  in  the 
wrong.  But  yer  comin'  was  well-timed,  and  the  Lord 
sent  ye  inter  the  woods  for  something  better  than  ped- 
dlin',  young  man." 

"  I  hope  so,  I  swan  I  do,"  returned  the  Yankee,  "  for 
I  haint  made  a  tarnal  red  cent  sence  I  tuk  the  boat ; 
and  I've  rowed  the  old  scow  a  thousand  miles,  darned 
ef  I  haint,  and  haven't  seen  a  house  nuther ;  and  I 
ought  to  have  made  a  dollar  and  a  half  a  day  right 
along,  —  but  I  guess  the  houses  are  thicker  further 
on,  eh?" 

"  Housen,  boy !  "  answered  the  Trapper,  laughing. 
"  Lord,  ye  can  go  a  hundred  mile  as  a  goose  flies  afore 
ye  come  to  a  house,  or  a  shanty  either,  for  that  matter. 
No,  no,  ef  peddlin'  be  yer  arrand,  ye  be  off  the  trail, 
for  sartin ;  and  ye  should  git  back  to  the  settlements, 
and  ply  yer  trade  there  as  quick  as  ye  can ;  for  leetle 
be  the  barginin'  and  sellin'  done  in  the  woods ;  though 
a  month  later,  perhaps,  ye  might  find  a  few  camps 
where  ye  could  traffic  a  leetle,  for  the  city  folks 
be  whimsical,  specially  the  wimmin,  and  they  might 
buy  some  of  yer  wares  in  their  frolicsomeness,  —  for 
a  peddler  would  be  a  strange  sight,  for  sartin,  a 
hundred  mile  from  a  house.  But  leetle  be  the  gain 
ye'll  make  in  the  woods,  boy,  and  ye  should  foller 
the  heel  of  yer  trail  till  it  run  ye  into  the  settlements 
ag'in." 

"  Waal,  I  sweow,  that's  funny.  Gosh  !  I  wouldn't 
have  dad  kneow  what  a  tarnal  fool  his  son  Jim  has 
been  for  a  ten-dollar  bill,  darn  ef  I  would.  But  as  for 


104  ADIRONDACK  TALES. 

streakin'  it  back  to  the  settlements,  as  yeou  call  them, 
that's  another  sort  of  a  tater,  old  man ;  and  I  don't 
feel  like  diggin'  eout  of  this  bush  until  I've  sampled 
the  lot." 

"  I  don't  understand  ye,  perhaps,"  resumed  the  Trap 
per,  after  a  moment's  pause.  "  But  as  ye  be  young 
and  not  over  wise  in  the  ways  of  the  woods,  ye  may 
not  understand  the  object  of  the  vagabonds  nor  the 
danger  ye  run  in  stayin',  and  so  I  might  as  well  tell  ye 
in  so  many  words  that  ef  ye  stay  with  me  ye  must  stay 
at  yer  resk,  for  the  knaves  have  sworn  to  kill  me,  and 
as  ye  have  got  mixed  up  in  the  matter  they'll  kill  ye, 
too,  arter  to-night,  ef  they  can ;  and  so,  perhaps,  the 
sooner  ye  take  the  heel  of  yer  track  the  safer  it'll  be 
for  ye." 

"  Moses  and  Elijah ! "  shouted  the  Yankee,  and  he 
brought  his  bony  knuckles  down  upon  the  board  table 
so  that  the  room  rang.  "Moses  and  Elijah!  old  man, 
yeou  don't  think  Jim  Bean's  a  sneak,  dew  ye  ?  Gosh 
Almighty !  there  never  was  a  Bean  yit  on  our  side  of 
the  house  that  was  a  coward,  darn  ef  there  was. 
Grandfather  Eliphalet  Bean  fit  in  the  Revolution, 
and  there  never  was  a  Bean  yit  that  showed  the  white 
feather  at  wrastlin'  or  fightin',  nuther.  And  ef  ye 
think  that  this  seedlin's  agoin'  to  bile  eout  of  the  pot 
because  it's  wallopin'  a  leetle,  yeou  don't  know  Jim 
Bean.  I  come  in  here  to  peddle,  that's  a  fact,  and 
make  a  leetle  honest  money  to  sot  me  up  when  I  git 
hum  —  and  I'll  dew  it  yit  before  I  give  it  up ;  but 
darn  ef  I'm  in  any  hurry  abeout  it,  old  man.  And  ef 


THE  MYSTERY  OF  THE   WOODS.  105 

ye  have  got  inter  a  scrape  and  want  a  slab-sided  cuss 
that's  shanked  it  up  from  Maine  tew  help  ye,  I'll  stay 
and  help  yeou  sort  the  pile,  and  yeou  shall  see  who's 
the  boss  tater  in  the  heap,  darn  ef  yeou  shan't." 

The  Trapper  had  listened  to  the  Yankee  with  a 
pleasure  which  he  made  no  effort  to  conceal,  for  cour- 
age in  whatever  form  it  is  shown,  or  in  whatever  guise 
it  appears,  commands  the  admiration  of  the  beholder. 
And  no  one  could  have  heard  the  explosion  of  his  com- 
panion and  not  have  felt  that  shrewd,  cunning,  and 
supremely  selfish  as  he  might  be  in  matters  of  personal 
gain,  still,  mingled  with  his  selfishness  was  a  nobler 
and  more  generous  spirit  ready  at  any  occasion  to  gain 
the  ascendency,  converting  the  selfish  trafficker  into  a 
being,  temporarily  at  least,  of  nobler  ambition.  Of  the 
genuine  pluck  of  his  comrade,  the  Trapper  could  have 
no  doubt. 

"  Ye've  got  the  true  grit,  boy,"  answered  the  Trap- 
per. "  Yis,  ye've  sartinly  got  the  true  grit  in  ye,  and 
the  sperit  of  yer  gran'ther  needn't  be  ashamed  of  ye, 
for  ye  ring  to  the  tap  as  clear  as  a  steel  barrel,  and  ef 
ye  say  ye'll  stay,  stay  ye  shall,  and  a  man  whose  head 
be  whitenin'  thanks  ye  for  yer  offer  to  help  him  agin 
the  vagabonds  that  thirst  for  his  blood.  Can  ye  shoot, 
boy?" 

"Sheoot!  I  reckon  I  kin  sheoot,"  answered  the 
Yankee.  "  I  can  hit  a  rabbit's  tail  at  ten  rods  ef  he'll 
sort  of  hold  still  a  minit,  and  the  gun  don't  carry  too 
close,"  and  he  laughed  boisterously  at  his  own  boastful 
wit.  "  Gosh,  ef  I  had  dad's  old  kings-arm  up  here, 


106  ADIRONDACK  TALES. 

and  yeou  had  a  gill  of  shot,  I  could  kill  every  rabbit  in 
the  whole  swamp  at  one  whack,  darn  ef  I  couldn't." 

"  Did  ye  ever  shoot  a  rifle  ?  "  queried  the  Trapper, 
upon  whose  mind  the  Yankee's  allusion  to  a  shot-gun 
had  made  a  dubious  impression.  "I  haven't  seed  a 
king's-arm  for  forty  year.  The  Lord  forbid  I  should 
ever  tech  anything  but  a  grooved  barrel,  and  there  isn't 
a  shot  in  the  house,  for  the  boy  feels  as  I  do  in  the 
matter.  No,  no,  shot-guns  be  good  enough  for  the 
settlements,  I  dare  say,  but  it  would  be  a  shame  for  a 
hunter  to  keep  one  in  his  cabin.  Did  ye  ever  shoot  a 
rifle,  boy?" 

"  No,  I  swan,  I  didn't,"  replied  the  Yankee,  "  but  I 
guess  I  could  ef  I  tried,  mighty  quick." 

"I  dunno,  I  dunno,"  answered  the  Trapper.  "A 
rifle  be  a  ticklish  thing  in  the  hand  of  a  beginner,  and 
mighty  leetle  use  would  yer  loose  shootin'  do  ye  in  a 
scrimmage  with  the  vagabonds.  Still  it  may  be  ye 
might  git  the  hang  of  it  arter  a  few  trials,  leastwise  ye 
could  pertect  yerself,  and  we  will  give  ye  the  p'ints  of 
the  case  in  the  mornin'.  What  can  ye  do,  boy,  ef  it 
comes  to  downright  arnest  work  ?  " 

"Wrastle!  old  man,  I'm  the  boss  wrastler  in  the 
Bean  tribe,  darn  ef  I  aint ;  front  hold,  side  hold,  collar 
and  elbow  back  hold,  any  kind  of  hold,  darn  ef  it  makes 
any  difference.  I'm  the  boss  tater  in  the  pile  when  it 
comes  tew  wrastlin'.  Ef  it  comes  tew  close  quarters,  sot 
me  down  for  three  of  them  blue-skinned  punkins  that  was 
at  yer  tew-night,  and  I'll  shew  ye  heow  Jim  Bean,  when 
his  dander  is  up,  can  twitch,  and  yank,  and  haul  'em 


THE  MYSTERY  OF  THE   WOODS.  107 

reoimd.  Moses  and  Elijah !  I'll  wrastle  the  hull  crowd ! 
Jewilikins,  I'm  a  regular  old-fashioned  scarlet  runner 
at  wrastlin'  !  " 

It  was  evident  that  the  Trapper  was  not  a  little 
disappointed  at  —  from  his  point  of  view  —  the  poor 
equipment  of  his  companion  for  a  contest  such  as  he 
knew  the  coming  one  with  the  outlaws  would  be ;  for  it 
was  plain  that  however  determined  he  might  be,  he 
was  in  no  sense  equal  in  skill  to  the  least  of  his  antago- 
nists. Still  he  was  not  wholly  discouraged,  but  was 
inclined  to  take  a  hopeful  view  of  the  matter,  for  he 
could  easily  imagine  that  the  contest  might,  at  more 
than  one  point  of  its  course,  take  such  a  turn  that  his 
companion's  strength  and  fearlessness  would  go  far  to 
make  good  his  almost  total  lack  of  skill  in  the  use  of 
the  weapons  which  would  be  used.  It  was  therefore 
with  mingled  feelings  of  hope  and  regret  that  he  said,  — 

"  I  be  sorry  that  ye  don't  know  the  use  of  the  iveepon, 
for  sartain,  but  yer  heart  is  right,  and  that  counts  a 
good  deal  in  a  scrimmage.  Lord,  ef  the  boy  was  only 
here  !  With  his  rifle  on  one  side  of  the  camp  and  mine 
on  the  other,  we  could  larn  them  vagabonds  a  lesson 
they'd  never  forgit.  But  the  boy  be  away,  and  the 
vagabonds  be  here,  and  the  parposes  of  the  Lord 
must  be  sarved." 

To  this  soliloquy  —  for  it  had  been  such  on  the  part 
of  the  Trapper  —  the  Yankee  had  listened  as  one  who 
feels  he  does  not  fully  understand  the  thought  of  the 
speaker ;  and  not  till  a  moment  had  elapsed  after  the 
old  man  had  ended,  did  he  speak.  Then  he  said,  — 


108  ADIRONDACK  TALES. 

"  Who  are  the  sneaks  that  was  after  yeou  to-night, 
any  heow,  and  what  are  they  duin'  that  they  should  be 
afraid  of  yeou?" 

In  reply  the  Trapper  narrated  all  that  had  happened, 
and  also  what  he  knew  about  the  half-breed  in  the 
past,  not  omitting  the  gambler's  visit  and  its  result, 
nor  his  suspicions  about  that  big  tent  on  the  Point. 
When  he  had  ended  the  Yankee  asked,  — 

"  What  dew  yeou  reckon  is  in  the  big  tent  any  heow  ? 
Yeou  don't  think  there's  a  pile  of  money  there,  dew 
yeou  ?  Jerusalem  !  ef  I  thought  there  was,  I'd  go  deoun 
and  wrastle  the  hull  camp  for  it,  darn  ef  I  wouldn't." 

For  a  moment  the  Trapper  made  no  answer,  but  re- 
mained as  one  plunged  in  profound  thought.  Then  he 
said,  — 

"  No,  no,  boy,  I  don't  conceit  it's  money ;  ef  I  did 
the  Lord  forbid  that  I  should  meddle  with  them  about 
it.  I  suspect  the  vagabonds  be  in  a  wuss  devilment  than 
that.  It's  a  human  beiri  that's  in  that  tent,  boy,  or  my 
name  aint  John  Norton." 

"Gosh  Almighty!"  exclaimed  the  Yankee,  "yeou 
don't  say  so  !  Heow  dew  yeou  kneow  it  ?  " 

"  I  don't  know  it,"  replied  the  Trapper,  "  that  is,  I 
don't  know  it  as  a  man  knows  a  thing  he  has  seen  and 
is  sartin  of,  but  the  signs  all  p'int  that  way.  And  now, 
young  man,  we'll  sot  ourselves  to  work  to  find  out 
whether  I'm  right  or  wrong.  We'll  rest  till  mornin', 
for  sleep  makes  a  clear  head.  Ye  needn't  worry  about 
the  door.  The  bar  is  a  strong  un',  and,  besides,  the 
vagabonds  have  got  all  they  want  to-night,  and  will 


THE  MYSTERY  OF  THE   WOODS.  109 

stick  to  their  camp  as  a  hound  that's  been  whipped  to 
his  kennel.  Take  the  bed  and  I  will  take  the  skins. 
Ef  there's  a  step  that  moves  outside,  my  ear  will  be 
nigh  the  floor  and  will  hear.  Yis,  we'll  sleep  to-night 
and  plan  to-morrow.  There's  a  human  bein'  in  that 
tent,  and  I  suspect  it's  a  woman,  too.  Ef  the  boy  was 
only  here ! " 

So  saying,  the  Trapper  took  his  rifle  from  the 
brackets  and  lay  down  upon  the  skins  by  the  door, 
while  the  Yankee  threw  his  body  upon  the  bed.  In  a 
moment  his  loud  and  regular  breathing  gave  proof  that 
he  was  asleep.  Once  the  old  man  raised  his  head  to 
listen,  then  laid  it  down  again,  and  in  a  few  moments 
he,  too,  slept. 

While  the  Trapper  and  the  Yankee  were  conversing 
in  the  cabin,  another  conversation  was  being  carried  on 
at  the  Point ;  for  no  sooner  had  the  outlaws,  after  their 
summary  ejection  from  the  cabin,  recovered  from  the 
effect  of  their  desperate  struggle,  —  which  two  of  them 
did  slowly,  and  as  men  from  whose  bodies  the  life  has 
been  nearly  and  almost  totally  driven, — than  they 
started  for  the  Point  with  all  the  energy  that  remained 
to  them.  They  were  thoroughly  beaten,  and  they  felt 
the  disgrace  of  it.  The  thought  of  their  discomfiture 
rankled  in  their  guilty  breasts  and  extorted  groans  and 
bitter  curses  from  them.  The  half-breed  was  at  first 
literally  frenzied  with  rage.  Again  had  he  plotted  the 
Trapper's  life,  and  again  had  he  been  foiled.  Again 
had  he  deemed  success  certain,  and  again  had  he  met 
an  overwhelming  defeat.  In  the  wildness  of  his  rage 


ADIRONDACK   TALES. 

and  the  bitterness  of  his  mortification  he  cursed  and 
tore  his  hair,  and  so  transported  with  madness  was  he, 
that  he  literally  grovelled  on  the  ground  like  him  of 
old  time,  possessed  of  the  devil.  But  after  his  first 
frenzy  was  passed,  and  his  blood  had  slightly  cooled,  he 
became  calmer,  and  before  he  had  reached  the  camp  his 
mind  had  settled  to  comparative  repose,  and  his  thoughts 
were  busy  devising  methods  of  revenge.  In  this  mood 
he  and  his  companions  entered  the  camp. 

The  gambler  was  seated  by  the  fire  playing  euchre 
with  a  "Dummy" — now  and  then  looking  dreamily 
off  upon  the  dusky  water,  or  up  into  the  blue  vault, 
bespangled  with  innumerable  stars,  and  whistling,  be- 
tween the  deals,  the  fragment  of  an  old  revival  hymn 
which  he  had  doubtless  heard  at  some  camp-meeting. 
He  was  evidently  playing  a  "  square  hand,"  as  he  ex- 
pressed it,  with  the  Dummy,  and  luck  was  against 
him. 

"Egad,  that's  funny,"  he  said  to  himself,  as  he 
shuffled  the  cards  for  the  final  deal  that  would  decide 
the  "  rubber."  "  The  pictures  are  in  league  with  the 
old  man,  and  luck  backs  him  to  its  last  dollar.  If  he 
gets  the  ace  and  the  right  bower,  and  I  get  the  left  and 
the  joker,  I'll  win ;  but  if  he  gets  the  joker  he'll  sweep 
the  table.  Now  let's  see  how  the  game  goes  —  for  or 
against  him.  Egad,  all  this  is  nonsense.  The  old 
fellow's  dead  before  this  and  his  white  hairs  dabbled  in 
blood  "  —  and  catching  something  back  in  his  throat  as 
if  about  to  cough,  he  lifted  the  cards  and  glancing  over 
them,  laid  the  ace  upon  the  bark  that  served  him  as  a 


THE  MYSTERY  OF  THE  WOODS.         1U 

table,  and  then  he  lifted  the  first  card  from  the  Dummy's 
pile,  and  turning  it  over,  quietly  laid  it  beside  his  ace. 

It  was  the  left  bower  ! 

The  gambler  looked  at  his  hand,  and,  after  a  moment's 
reflection,  placed  the  queen  of  trumps  on  the  bark. 
Then,  before  he  played  the  Dummy's  card,  he  gazed 
out  upon  the  lake  and  softly  whistled  a  strain  of  the 
hymn ;  then  he  reached  over,  lifted  the  Dummy's  card, 
and,  turning  it  slowly  over,  laid  it  beside  his  queen. 

It  ivas  the  king  of  trumps  ! 

Perhaps  the  gambler's  face  whitened  a  trifle ;  perhaps 
the  lines  round  the  mouth  tightened ;  the  firelight  was 
too  dim  to  make  one  feel  certain,  —  but  he  looked  a 
moment  at  the  two  cards,  and,  without  lifting  them, 
placed  the  right  bower  on  the  board,  then,  passing  his 
w!iite  fingers  to  the  Dummy's  pile,  he  lifted  the  upper 
one  and  calmly  turned  it  face  up. 

It  was  the  joker  ! 

"  The  old  man  wins,  by  "  — 

The  sentence  remained  unfinished,  for  the  sharp  crack 
of  a  broken  stick  in  the  bush  checked  his  exclamation, 
and  as  he  listened,  the  sound  of  many  steps  was  plainly 
heard,  coming  toward  the  camp. 


112  ADIRONDACK  TALES. 


CHAPTER   VIII. 

IN  a  minute  the  five  outlaws  emerged  from  the  dark- 
ness, and  entered  into  the  circle  of  the  firelight.  Their 
personal  appearance  bore  witness  of  the  desperate  con- 
flict through  which  they  had  passed;  for  their  garments 
were  torn,  their  faces  bruised,  and  their  looks  were  the 
looks  of  those  who  have  just  issued  from  a  desperate 
fray.  Two  of  them  walked  with  great  difficulty,  being 
supported  by  their  companions,  their  faces  white  as  those 
who  suffer  from  intense  pain.  It  was  with  evident  relief 
that  the  whole  party  threw  themselves  upon  the  dry 
ground  near  the  fire,  in  front  of  which  was  a  goodly 
supply  of  cooked  provisions  and  a  large  pot  filled  with 
coffee.  In  a  moment  they  were  all  busily  engaged  in 
appeasing  their  appetites ;  eating  as  men  in  the  woods 
will  after  a  long  fast. 

The  gambler  looked  them  over  with  an  eye  which, 
while  it  seemed  wholly  indifferent,  nevertheless  took 
within  its  gaze  every  evidence  which  the  outlaws  pre- 
sented calculated  to  illustrate  the  character  and  the 
result  of  their  adventure.  He  even  whistled  a  whole 
stanza  of  the  hymn,  as  with  immovable  and  passive 
countenance  he  gazed  first  from  one  to  the  other  At 
last  he  said,  speaking  to  the  half-breed,  — 

"  How  did  the  game  go  ? " 


THE  MYSTERY  OF  THE  WOODS.        US 

"It  went  against  us,"  answered  the  half-breed 
gloomily. 

"  A  misplay  ? "  asked  the  gambler  interrogatively. 

"  Yes,"  replied  the  half-breed,  "  the  devil  helped  him 
as  usual." 

"  You  had  a  strong  hand,"  returned  the  other  after  a 
pause,  during  which  he  had  been  quietly  and  perhaps 
unconsciously  shuffling  the  cards.  "  You  had  a  strong 
hand,"  he  continued,  "  and  if  you  got  the  lead,  I  don't  see 
how  you  could  have  failed  to  make  your  point ;  but  after 
all  you  are  never  quite  certain,  with  the  joker  in  the 
pack.  The  old  fellow  was  in  luck  this  morning  when  I 
called  on  him,  and  I've  often  noticed  that  when  luck 
comes  in  the  morning  it  stays  over  night." 

"  His  luck  has  stayed  with  him,  anyway,"  answered 
the  half-breed.  "  Our  plot  was  a  good  one.  We  had 
him  in  our  power,  —  I  have  had  him  so  twice  before,  — 
and  now  for  the  third  time  he  has  escaped." 

"That  is  his  luck,"  answered  the  gambler  coolly; 
"there  is  no  playing  against  luck.  A  fool  in  Toronto 
actually  cleaned  me  out  last  fall,  and  he  scarcely  knew 
a  queen  from  a  jack ;  and  I  was  playing  with  a  favorite 
pack,  too,"  and  the  gambler  laughed  pleasantly  to  him- 
self. 

"  What  did  you  do  ?  "  asked  the  half-breed,  in  whose 
mind  the  gambler's  quiet  recital  of  his  singular  expe- 
rience had  produced  the  effect  of  making  him  forget 
his  own  disappointment  temporarily. 

"  I  took  the  bumpkin  by  the  arm  and  escorted  him 
to  the  hotel ;  had  him  deposit  the  pile  with  the  clerk ; 


114  ADIRONDACK  TALES. 

slept  with  him  that  night,  and  gave  him  a  little  advice 
the  next  morning." 

"  What  did  you  advise  him  ?  "  asked  the  half-breed. 

"I  advised  him  to  go  home,"  replied  the  gambler, 
laughing.  "  It  was  the  only  time  my  advice  was  ever 
taken,  I  think,"  he  continued,  with  a  tone  of  good- 
natured  satire  in  his  voice.  "  He  wanted  to  divide,  but 
I  laughed  at  him.  I  actually  pushed  him  aboard  of  the 
cars.  The  last  I  saw  of  him  he  was  standing  on  the 
platform  with  his  hands  full  of  bills  and  tears  in  his 
eyes.  Yes,  the  fool  was  actually  blubbering.  I  made 
it  up  the  next  night,  and  a  little  over.  I  was  escorted 
to  the  cars  next  morning  myself.  Quite  a  company 
went  down  to  see  me  off.  I  haven't  been  in  Toronto 
since.  But  how  about  your  game  with  the  Trapper  ? 
It  looked  like  a  sure  thing.  How  did  you  get  beaten  ?  " 

Thus  urged,  the  half-breed  recited  the  experiences  of 
the  night ;  the  ambushing  of  the  cabin,  the  secreting  of 
themselves  in  the  cellar,  the  Trapper's  return,  and  the 
dreadful  combat,  the  sudden  re-enforcement  the  old  man 
had  received  in  the  person  of  the  Yankee,  and  the  dis- 
comfiture of  the  outlaws.  All  was  told  with  a  vivid- 
ness of  description  and  energy  of  voice  and  gesture, 
which  reproduced  each  act  of  the  terrible  drama  in 
startling  clearness  to  the  gambler's  mind.  He  listened 
to  the  narration  with  close  attention,  but  with  the  cool- 
ness which  distinguishes  the  men  of  his  calling.  When 
the  recital  was  over,  silence  fell  upon  the  group.  At 
last  the  gambler  said,  — 

"  It's  all  luck,  and  when  luck  gets  the  deal  there 


THE  MYSTERY  OF  THE   WOODS.  115 

is  no  safety  in  betting.  What  do  you  propose  to  do 
next?" 

"  I  propose  to  try  it  over  again,"  replied  the  half- 
breed  savagely.  "  None  of  us  are  hurt  badly,  and  a 
good  night's  sleep  will  put  us  in  good  trim  again.  We 
will  try  it  over,"  he  muttered,  "  and  the  next  time  we 
go  we  shall  take  something  besides  knives." 

"Don't  get  excited,"  said  the  gambler  coolly;  "it's  a 
big  pile  you  are  playing  for,  and  the  man  on  the  other 
side  of  the  table  holds  the  cards  as  if  he  had  a  strong 
hand.  I  think  you  had  better  sleep  on  it  before  you 
decide.  To-morrow  we'll  cut  for  a  new  deal.  Good- 
night." 

So  saying,  the  man  who  trusted  in  "  luck  "  stretched 
himself  at  length  on  the  ground,  and  pulling  a  blanket 
partially  over  his  body,  gazed  upward  for  a  moment 
into  the  great  star-lighted  dome,  —  whistled  softly  a 
strain  or  two  of  the  old  Methodist  hymn,  —  then  his 
eyes  slowly  closed  and  he  slept. 

The  next  day  passed  without  any  exhibition  of  ac- 
tivity by  either  party.  The  outlaws  spent  the  greater 
part  of  it  in  sleep,  the  gambler  and  the  giant  keeping 
watch.  Near  night  a  general  council  was  held,  and  the 
question  of  retreat  was  fully  discussed.  Two  of  the 
outlaws  favored  the  idea,  urging  in  support  of  their 
views  that  the  Trapper,  when  unassisted,  even,  was  a 
formidable  enemy,  but  that  being  now  re-enforced  by 
the  Yankee  he  was  unquestionably  able  to  cause  them 
a  vast  amount  of  trouble,  if  not  actual  loss.  They  also 
called  attention  to  the  peculiar  character  of  their  en- 


116  ADIRONDACK  TALES. 

terprise  and  the  strong  probability  that  one  with  the 
skill  and  courage  of  the  Trapper  would  ultimately  dis- 
cover, by  some  trick  or  device,  the  secret  of  the  tent, 
and  so  make  himself  master  of  all  they  desired  to 
accomplish.  It  was  evident  that  upon  these  two  men, 
at  least,  the  terrible  fight  in  the  Trapper's  cabin  had 
made  a  powerful  effect,  and  that  they  dreaded  to  push 
the  contest  further  against  a  man  of  so  determined  a 
nature,  and  whom  fortune  invariably  favored. 

But  with  the  others  an  opposite  opinion  prevailed. 
The  half-breed  was  bent  on  revenge,  and  craved  noth- 
ing so  much  as  another  chance  to  attempt  the  Trapper's 
life.  Indeed,  his  malignity  was  of  the  fiercest  sort ; 
he  even  declared  that  should  the  decision  be  against 
him,  and  the  party  endeavor  to  depart,  he  himself 
would  remain  and  seek  his  revenge  alone  —  that  he 
would  never  leave  the  lake  alive  unless  he  left  the  man 
he  hated  with  so  deadly  a  hatred,  a  corpse  on  its  shores. 
This  savage  feeling  the  two  remaining  outlaws  shared 
to  the  full ;  each  declaring  that  he  would  sooner  be- 
tray the  trust  committed  to  his  charge,  than  lose  their 
revenge  on  the  man  who  had  inflicted  on  them  so 
severe  a  punishment  and  so  unexpected  a  disgrace. 
The  gambler  listened  to  each  speaker  with  his  cus- 
tomary calmness,  and  when  called  upon  for  his  opinion 
gave  it,  characteristically,  as  follows :  — 

"  I  think,"  he  said  quietly,  "  that  the  game  must  go 
on.  The  old  man  has  taken  the  first  tricks  and  counts 
the  four  honors,  —  that's  certain.  There's  no  telling 
how  the  next  deal  will  go,  for  the  luck  may  change ; 


THE  MYSTERY  OF  THE  WOODS.  117 

but  the  chances  are  in  our  favor,  —  and  if  they  were 
not,  we  have  got  to  play  the  game  through  all  the 
same.  It's  a  nasty  mess,"  he  continued,  "  and  I  wish  I 
was  out  of  it ;  but  having  consented  to  make  one  of 
the  table,  I  don't  propose  to  throw  up  the  hand.  Then 
again,  we  couldn't  get  away  if  we  tried,  for  the  old 
chap  has  got  his  blood  up  and  we  couldn't  shake  him 
off.  I  have  a  feeling  that  we  couldn't  move  a  boat  out 
of  this  lake  without  his  knowing  it,  and  that  means  a 
fight ;  and  if  we  have  got  to  fight,  we  stand  a  better 
chance  to  fight  it  out  here  than  if  we  try  to  move,  for 
here  we  can  act  in  concert  and  make  the  odds  count 
against  him ;  but  if  we  make  a  move  the  odds  will  be 
in  his  favor,  for  he  can  trail  us  and  pick  us  off  in  detail, 
and  I  fancy  that  some  of  you  chaps  would  feel  his  lead 
before  you  had  got  five  miles  down  the  river.  I  don't 
think  we  had  better  make  a  move,  therefore,  —  at  least 
for  a  day  or  two,  —  but  hold  the  camp  here,  and  see 
what  will  turn  up.  You  know  my  feeling  about  kill- 
ing him.  I  don't  want  to  do  it,  but  of  course  we  have 
this  little  job  to  attend  to,  and  he  must  let  us  alone  or 
take  the  consequences.  But  I  give  you  fellows  warn- 
ing that  he  plays  a  strong  hand,  and  if  you  want  to 
make  your  points  you  mustn't  play  your  cards  care- 
lessly. I  don't  fancy  you  need  run  after  him  much, 
for  if  you  don't  see  or  hear  him  during  the  night,  I  shall 
be  mistaken.  He  isn't  a  man  to  study  his  hand  long, 
as  I  measure  him,  and  I  don't  think  you  had  all  better 
sleep  to-night.  Luck  makes  a  man  bold,  and  he'll  order 
us  up  before  morning.  That's  my  idea  of  the  game." 


118  ADIRONDACK  TALES. 

To  this  opinion  the  outlaws  all  yielded  ready  assent, 
—  at  least  all  except  the  half-breed,  who  ridiculed  the 
idea  of  the  Trapper  making  any  attack  upon  the  camp, 
defended  by  such  numbers  as  he  well  knew  it  was.  He 
expressed  the  opinion  that  the  old  man  would  wait  an 
attack,  not  make  one,  and  advocated  that  they  besiege 
him  in  his  cabin  with  the  idea  of  burning  or  starving 
him  out.  It  was  with  great  reluctance  that  he  allowed 
himself  to  be  overruled,  but  at  last  he  yielded  to  the 
more  cautious  wishes  of  his  companion,  and  consented 
to  remain  in  his  own  camp  for  that  night,  at  least,  only 
demanding  that  he  should  be  allowed  to  take  upon 
himself  the  sentinel's  duty.  To  this  all  agreed,  and  so 
the  matter  was  decided. 

So  the  day,  as  we  have  said,  wore  away,  and  no 
movement  was  made  by  either  party.  The  outlaws 
remained  in  their  camp,  and  the  Trapper  in  his.  The 
old  man  had  passed  the  day  at  a  point  on  the  bank 
which  commanded  both  a  view  up  the  lake  and  the 
approach  to  the  cabin  from  the  rear.  As  he  watched, 
his  mind  was  active  in  devising  a  plan  by  which  he 
could  accomplish  what  he  had  undertaken.  His  objec- 
tive point  was  the  big  tent  in  the  camp  of  the  outlaws 
and  the  rescue  of  the  one  who  he  believed  was  im- 
prisoned in  it.  Beyond  this  he  had  no  desire.  He 
paid,  speaking  to  the  Yankee,  who  was  in  a  warlike 
mood,  — 

"  No,  no,  boy,  I've  seed  blood  enough  shed,  and  a 
fight  should  not  be  craved  by  a  rational  bein',  —  yis, 
I've  had  fightin'  enough  in  my  day,  and  I  hope  I  may 


THE  MYSTERY  OP  THE   WOODS.  119 

never  line  the  sights  on  a  mortal  ag'in.  But  that  tent 
must  be  looked  into  for  sartin,  and  the  quicker  I  can 
git  my  head  within  the  canvas,  the  better  it'll  be  for  all 
consarned.  So  to-night,  ef  it  be  dark  enough  —  and  I 
conceit  it  will  be,  for  the  signs  in  the  nor' east  p'int  in 
that  direction  —  we'll  ambush  the  vagabonds.  Yis," 
continued  the  old  man,  "  I'll  go  into  the  heart  of  their 
carnp  to-night,  and  when  I  come  out,  I'll  know  what 
their  devilment  means.  Here,  boy,  ye  take  my  place, 
and  ef  ye  see  a  boat  on  the  lake,  or  a  bush  move  in  the 
clearin'  back  of  the  cabin,  do  ye  give  me  the  call  of  the 
owl  and  git  inside  the  door  as  quick  as  yer  legs  will 
carry  ye.  Now  keep  yer  eyes  wide  open,  and  use  yer 
legs  ef  ye  see  any  movements  in  the  bush,  or  I  wouldn't 
give  one  of  yer  brass  watches  for  yer  life ;  for  the  vaga- 
bonds owe  ye  a  grudge  and  their  powder  will  barn  as 
quick  as  an  honest  man's." 

So  saying,  the  old  Trapper  shouldered  his  rifle,  and 
taking  an  axe  in  his  hand,  disappeared  in  the  woods  to 
the  north  of  the  cabin. 

In  an  hour  he  returned,  bearing  on  his  shoulders  two 
immense  barks,  which  he  had  peeled  from  two  large 
spruce  trees,  some  seven  feet  in  length,  and  going  to 
the  beach  placed  them  carefully  in  the  bottom  of  his 
boat. 

It  was  well  nigh  ten  o'clock  in  the  evening  when  he 
and  his  companion  entered  the  boat,  and  after  pausing 
a  moment  to  listen,  he  pushed  it  off  upon  the  lake  and 
disappeared  in  the  darkness.  Half  an  hour  of  paddling 
brought  them  within  a  quarter  of  a  mile  of  the  outlaws' 


120  ADIRONDACK  TALES. 

camp.  Then  the  boat  came  to  a  stop,  and  speaking  in 
a  whisper,  the  old  man  said,  — 

"  Now,  boy,  I'm  going  into  the  inimies'  camp,  and 
while  I  don't  mean  to  run  any  resks,  still  ambushin'  is 
ambushin',  and  when  a  man  begins  to  crawl  there's  no 
tellin'  who  he'll  crawl  ag'inst ;  and  I  know  the  vaga- 
bond who  leads  the  gang  too  well  not  to  know  that  his 
eyes  and  ears  won't  be  shet  to-night,  though  I  sartainly 
expect  that  he'll  be  ambushin'  the  cabin  arter  us 
instead  of  guarding  his  own  as  he  ought  to  do.  Still, 
it  may  be  he's  been  over-ruled  by  a  wiser  head  than  his 
own,  and  ef  so,  he's  watchin'  for  us  this  minit  some- 
where back  of  the  lodge  or  the  tent  there.  Now,  boy, 
we'll  go  ashore,  and  I  will  tell  ye  my  plan.  Keep  yer 
knife  with  ye,  but  this  is  to  be  an  ambushment,  not  a 
fight,  and  ef  anything  happens,  and  it  comes  to  any 
arnestness,  yer  fists  and  yer  legs  will  sarve  ye  better  in 
the  dark  than  a  weepon.  Now  remember,  boy,  that  all 
I  want  ye  to  do  is  to  git  within  sight  of  the  camp  so 
that  ye  can  see  what's  goin'  on  —  for  the  fire  ye  see  is 
kept  lit,  —  and  ef  ye  see  anything  onusual  goin'  on,  do 
ye  give  the  signal  —  two  calls  of  an  owl  —  and  arter  ye 
have  started  —  and  I  sartainly  advise  ye  to  hist  along 
as  fast  as  yer  legs  can  carry  ye,  ef  anything  should 
happen — ye  may  bark  like  a  fox  as  ye  take  the  few 
fust  leaps,  that  I  may  ketch  the  direction  of  yer  goin'. 
Keerful  now,  and  make  no  noise  as  ye  git  out  of  the 
boat,  for  nothin'  is  so  safe  as  silence  in  an  ambush- 
ment." 

So  saying,  the  old  man  urged  the  boat  gently  to  the 


THE  MYSTERY  OF  THE   WOODS.  121 

shore,  and  both  of  the  men  stepped  noiselessly  out  upon 
the  beach. 

"Don't  forgit,"  whispered  the  Trapper,  " don't forgit 
that  the  boat  is  jest  beyend  the  big  pine  here,  for  ef  ye 
have  to  run  for  it,  it  would  be  unfortunit  should  ye  miss 
it.  And  ef  the  vagabonds  be  arter  ye,  don't  wait  for 
my  comin',  but  push  out  at  once  and  make  yerself  safe. 
Ye'll  hear  my  call  on  the  shore  —  two  croaks  of  a  frog 
—  ef  I  want  ye,  and  ef  ye  don't  hear  me,  foller  the 
shore  till  ye  come  to  the  cabin,  and  expect  me  afore 
night.  Now,  then,  let's  put  on  our  clothes.  I  sartinly 
doubt  ef  the  tailorin'  of  the  settlements  could  make  ye 
sech  a  suit."  And  the  old  man  laughed  noiselessly  as 
he  ended. 

The  plan  of  the  Trapper  was  now  revealed,  and  the 
Yankee  could  with  difficulty  restrain  his  merriment  as 
he  assumed  the  disguise,  which  was  nothing  but  the 
encasing  of  himself  in  the  spruce  bark  which  the 
Trapper  had  peeled  for  the  service.  As  we  have  said, 
the  bark  was  from  a  large  tree  and  cut  nearly  seven 
feet  in  length,  and  as  it  was  of  course  slit  from  end  to 
end  it  could  be  sprung  open,  allowing  one,  as  it  were,  to 
enter  it,  and  the  moment  one  was  within  and  the  press- 
ure was  remitted,  it  would  spring  together  again,  thus 
making  a  veritable  encasement  of  bark.  To  make  them 
more  perfectly  adapted  for  the  uses  which  they  were 
to  serve,  the  Trapper  had  cut  here  and  there  a  hole  in 
the  body  of  the  bark  so  that  with  a  slight  movement  of 
the  head  the  eye  could  survey  his  surroundings,  even 
when  the  body  was  stretched  prone  upon  the  ground. 


122  ADIRONDACK  TALES. 

He  had  also,  about  that  portion  of  the  bark  where  the 
arms  and  knees  came,  cut  away  a  section  so  that  the 
person  within  could  move  himself  in  either  direction  at 
will.  A  more  perfect  concealment  was  surely  never 
planned,  or  one  less  likely  to  attract  the  attention  of  a 
sentinel ;  for  when  the  Trapper  had  encased  himself  in 
his  bark  armor  and  stretched  himself  on  the  ground,  no 
passer-by,  however  on  the  alert  he  might  be,  could 
possibly  have  seen  anything  more  suspicious  than  the 
trunk  of  a  spruce  log  lying  across  his  path. 

"  Now,"  said  the  Trapper,  speaking  in  a  whisper  to 
his  companion,  as  both  were  standing  encased  with  the 
protecting  bark,  "  the  time  has  come  for  us  to  act.  I 
want  ye  to  keep  along  the  beach  —  for  the  sand  gives 
no  noise  ef  ye  move  slow  —  until  ye  come  to  the  edge 
of  the  camp,  then  do  ye  lie  down  and  crawl  in  as  far 
as  ye  can  with  safety  but  don't  be  resky,  and  remember 
to  keep  beyend  the  firelight.  And  whatever  ye  forgit, 
don't  forgit  to  move  slow.  An  inch  a  minit  is  a  good 
gait  in  an  ambushment,  for  it  gives  ye  time  to  look 
and  think  both,  and  most  ambushments  are  sp'ilt  by 
bein'  in  a  hurry.  Lord !  what  a  thing  patience  is,  and 
how  few  there  be  that  has  it,"  muttered  the  Trapper. 
"Ef  a  man  only  knew  enough  to  wait  he  could  do  all 
he  undertook,  for  all  changes  be  on  the  side  of  him  who 
don't  hurry. 

"  Now,  boy,"  resumed  the  old  man,  "  do  ye  keep  yer 
eyes  and  ears  open,  and  see  and  hear  all  ye  can ;  and 
ef  all  goes  well,  ye'll  hear  the  frogs  croak  afore  a  hour 
is  passed,  which  do  ye  take  as  yer  signal  to  jine  me  at 
the  spot  where  ye  hear  it." 


THE  MYSTERY  OP  THE   WOODS.  123 

"  What  shall  I  do,"  whispered  the  Yankee,  "  ef  any- 
thing goes  wrong  ?  Shall  I  fight,  or  run  ?  " 

"  I  can't  tell  ye,  boy ;  no,  I  can't  tell  ye,  for  there's 
no  advisin'  with  sartainty  aforehand  in  sech  matters  " 
answered  the  Trapper.  "  I  must  leave  it  fer  yer  sense, 
boy,  to  decide,  if  wust  comes  to  wust.  Ef  the  need 
comes,  do  what  seems  to  ye  best.  Fight  ef  ye  must, 
but  run  ef  ye  can,  fer  yer  legs  be  lengthy,  and  ef  ye 
got  'em  goin'  on  a  straight  line,  they'd  reach  fer  a  good 
deal  of  ground,  as  I  conceit,  specially  ef  the  vagabonds 
was  arter  ye,  and  a  leetle  powder  was  bein'  barnt  in  yer 
rear.  But  whatever  ye  do,  move  slow  and  make  no 
noise,  and  ef  wust  comes  to  wust,  and  anything  hap- 
pens to  ye,  they'll  hear  the  crack  of  my  piece  from  the 
bush  back  of  their  camp  as  soon  as  the  sun  shows  me 
the  sights;  for  the  piece  is  here,  and  powder  and 
bullets  be  in  my  pocket.  Now  do  yer  best,  and  may 
the  Lord  help  them  who  be  try  in'  to  help  him.  Ah, 
me  !  I  shouldn't  feel  the  need  of  Him  so  strong,  I  fear, 
ef  the  boy  was  with  me  to-night." 

So  saying,  the  Trapper  took  the  roll  of  bark  under 
his  arm  and  disappeared  in  the  woods,  while  the  Yan- 
kee, holding  the  bark  in  which  he  was  encased  partially 
open  in  front  of  him,  so  that  he  could  move  his  legs 
freely,  started  as  noiselessly  along  the  beach,  walking 
in  his  stockings,  as  the  Trapper  had  advised. 

In  the  camp  of  the  outlaws  the  situation  was  as  fol- 
lows :  The  giant  sat  on  a  log  in  front  of  the  big  tent, 
drowsy,  but  not  asleep.  The  half-breed  was  standing 
motionless,  leaning  against  a  huge  pine  some  rods  fur- 


124  ADIRONDACK  TALES. 

ther  inland,  his  eyes  and  ears  alike  open  ;  a  knife  in  his 
belt  and  a  revolver  at  full  cock  in  his  hand.  One  of 
the  outlaws  was  in  a  canoe  patrolling  the  water  in  front 
of  the  camp.  The  gambler  sat  on  a  log  gazing  into  the 
fitful  flame,  and  now  and  then  quietly  lifting  his  face, 
and  running  his  eyes  around  the  limited  range  of  vision 
they  commanded.  The  three  remaining  outlaws  were 
stretched  on  the  ground  sleeping  soundly.  Such  was  the 
situation  of  the  camp  when  the  Trapper  and  his  com- 
panion began  to  move  from  different  directions  upon  it. 
The  first  thing  that  the  Trapper  did  was  to  reach  a 
position  from  whence  he  could  fetch  a  straight  line  for 
the  big  tent,  where  leaving  the  bark  and  his  rifle  inside 
of  it,  he  proceeded  to  push  his  investigations  as  to  the 
condition  of  the  camp  as  it  then  was.  It  was  his  hope 
that  the  outlaws  had  returned  to  the  cabin,  and  were 
then  outlying  around  it.  Indeed,  he  felt  that  such  was 
the  case,  for  he  reasoned  from  what  he  knew  of  the 
half-breed  that  his  defeat  would  overcome  his  caution 
and  cause  him  to  be  more  eager  to  effect  his  destruc- 
tion than  to  protect  his  charge.  But  the  old  man 
admitted  to  himself  that  such  might  not  be  the  case, 
and  that  his  enemy  might  even  at  that  minute  be 
within  a  dozen  rods  of  him.  It  was,  therefore,  with 
the  utmost  skill  that  he  continued  to  make  his  approach 
toward  the  tent,  which  he  did,  not  by  moving  directly 
upon  it,  but  by  an  oblique  movement  which  would 
carry  him  almost  parallel  to  the  rear  line  of  defence  on 
which  he  knew  sentinels  —  if  sentinels  there  were  — 
would  be  posted,  and  within  a  few  rods  of  it. 


THE  MYSTERY  OF  THE  WOODS.  125 

The  marvellous  skill  with  which  the  old  woodsman 
accomplished  this,  showed  that  he  was  indeed  a  master 
at  the  business.  Inch  by  inch  he  worked  his  way 
along,  his  hands  feeling  in  the  darkness  ahead  of  his 
advance  and  removing  every  twig  and  pine  cone  that 
lay  in  his  path.  Such  patience  in  such  work  brings  its 
own  reward.  His  progress  was  slow,  very  slow,  but 
absolutely  noiseless.  It  was  well  it  was  so,  for  the  old 
man  had  gone  hardly  the  length  of  the  line  before 
he  knew  an  enemy  was  near.  The  half-breed,  leaning 
as  he  was  against  a  pine,  had  slightly  moved  his  shoul- 
ders against  the  bark,  and  the  noise,  slight  as  it  was, 
had  told  the  Trapper  the  whole  story.  He  knew  that 
his  enemies  were  on  the  alert,  and  that  he  was  within 
twenty  feet  of  one  of  their  sentinels. 

For  several  minutes  the  old  man  lay  and  thought. 
Should  he  retire  ?  Should  he  take  the  risk  and  go  on  ? 
He  reasoned  the  matter  in  his  own  mind  for  a  moment 
and  concluded  to  go  on.  He  was  successful.  Slowly 
he  drew  himself  along  over  the  mosses,  passed  the  half- 
breed  leaning  against  the  pine,  undiscovered,  and  in  a 
few  moments  his  ear  was  against  the  canvas  cover  of 
the  tent. 

What  did  he  hear  ?  At  first  nothing.  Then  a  sound, 
—  a  sound  as  of  a  person  moving,  —  moving  softly  as 
a  woman  might  move.  The  sound  moved  from  one 
end  of  the  tent  to  the  other,  backward  and  forward ; 
not  swiftly,  but  slowly ;  —  then  it  stopped.  The  per- 
son had  evidently  seated  —  shall  I  say  himself  ?  shall  I 
say  herself  ?  Was  it  a  man  ?  Was  it  a  woman  ? 


126  ADIRONDACK  TALES. 

The  Trapper  in  answer  to  the  mental  interrogation 
drew  his  knife,  inwardly  saying,  "  I'll  see,"  and  applied 
its  point  to  the  stout  canvas.  Slowly  but  steadily  he 
pushed  the  sharp  edge  downward  through  the  woven 
fabric,  until  a  rent  fully  a  foot  long  was  made  in  the 
cloth. 

The  deed  was  done.  The  old  man  slowly  sheathed 
the  knife,  and  putting  his  fingers  to  the  edges  of  the 
rent,  prepared  to  draw  them  apart.  His  eye  was 
almost  at  the  aperture,  and  in  another  moment  the 
secret  of  the  tent  would  have  been  solved,  when  a 
frightful  yell  broke  upon  the  air,  and  the  Trapper  knew 
that  the  Yankee  was  in  trouble. 


THE  MYSTERY  OF  THE   WOODS.  127 


CHAPTER  IX. 

YES,  the  Yankee  was  in  trouble,  and  trouble  of  a  sort 
that  might  daunt  any  spirit  less  daring  —  or  rather,  let 
me  say,  less  careless  than  his ;  for  through  every  exhi- 
bition of  this  man's  courage  there  ran  a  broad  line  of 
sheer  recklessness,  such  as  boys  of  pluck  often  show  in 
emergencies  whose  actual  peril  they  are  too  ignorant  to 
appreciate.  Yes;  Jim  Bean  was  in  trouble.  To  em- 
ploy an  expression  he  used  the  next  day  in  describing 
his  sensation,  he  was  in  such  peril  that "  he  wouldn't  give 
a  last  year's  bean  pod  for  his  chance  of  gittin'  eout," 
and  yet,  serious  and  imminent  as  the  crisis  was,  his 
manner  of  meeting  it  was  of  so  brave  and  peculiar  a 
character  as  to  excite  admiration  on  the  one  hand  and 
provoke  laughter  on  the  other. 

It  seems  that  on  leaving  the  Trapper,  he  had  for  a 
time  followed  his  advice  and  acted  with  great  caution 
and  not  a  little  skill ;  for  he  had  kept  to  the  noiseless 
sand  of  the  beach,  advanced  slowly,  and  made  frequent 
pauses  for  observation.  He  had  even  made  the  last 
hundred  feet  of  his  approach  by  slow  and  skilful  crawl- 
ing, and  had  got  to  the  very  edge  of  the  firelight  un- 
discovered. Had  he  remained  at  this  point  and  con- 
tented himself  with  watching  the  occupants  of  the 
camp,  as  the  Trapper  had  charged  him,  all  would  have 
been  well.  But  after  lying  some  fifteen  minutes — 


128  ADIRONDACK  TALES. 

which  seemed  an  age  to  him  —  without  moving  an 
inch,  he  concluded  in  his  mind  to  get  a  little  nigher  and 
see,  as  he  inwardly  expressed  it,  "  what  them  ere  chaps 
be  abeout,  anyheow." 

For  this  unwise  and  perilous  decision  there  was 
literally  no  justification  whatever,  as  his  then  present 
position  commanded  a  full  view  of  the  entire  camp,  at 
least  of  all  he  was  expected  to  watch,  and  therefore 
could  not  be  bettered.  But  if  this  reflection  entered 
his  mind,  it  had  no  influence  upon  it  for  he  proceeded 
to  move  along  the  beach  until  he  was  actually  in  front 
of  the  gambler  and  not  thirty  feet  from  him.  Not  con- 
tent with  this  proximity,  he  slowly  moved  himself 
around  until  the  hollow  bark  within  which  he  lay  was 
end  on  to  the  camp  fire,  so  that  the  light  shone  full 
into  it,  revealing  his  sandy  face  and  gleaming  eyes,  and 
then,  as  if  even  this  foolhardiness  were  not  enough,  he 
began  to  crawl  directly  up  toward  the  camp  fire. 

It  must  be  confessed  that  he  acted  with  finest  skill, 
and  obeyed  the  Trapper's  injunction  as  to  the  slowness 
of  his  motions  with  absolute  faithfulness,  for  he  did  in 
very  truth  move  but  an  "  inch  a  minute,"  and  so  noise- 
lessly that  not  a  sound  followed  his  motion.  Indeed, 
so  perfectly  did  he  execute  his  perilous  endeavor  that 
he  had  actually  crept  to  the  rear  of  the  gambler,  and 
within  a  dozen  feet  of  him,  before  the  catastrophe  that 
followed  occurred.  And  even  then  his  discovery  was 
more  the  result  of  sheer  accident  than  because  of  any 
blunder  made  by  him.  And  it  happened  in  this  way : 

The  Yankee  had,  as  we  have  said,  moved  inch  by 


THE  MYSTERY  OF  THE  WOODS.  129 

inch,  up  even  with  the  position  of  the  gambler,  and 
was  now  lying  within  his  bark  encasement  directly 
back  of  him,  and  not  a  dozen  feet  away,  when  the  man 
of  luck  suddenly  arose  from  the  log  on  which  he  had 
been  sitting,  and  turned  squarely  around,  standing  back 
to  the  fire.  Even  then  it  seemed  probable  that  the 
Yankee  would  remain  undiscovered,  for  the  hollow 
bark  in  which  he  lay,  although  clearly  revealed  to  the 
gambler  by  the  firelight,  made  no  revelation  of  the 
secret  within,  for  to  him  it  was  only  a  log.  And  what 
was  there  strange  or  startling  in  the  fact  of  a  spruce 
log  lying  at  his  feet  ? 

It  was  evident  that  the  gambler  was  entirely  undis- 
turbed, for  after  having  turned  his  back  upon  the  fire,  he 
stood  gazing  for  a  moment  listlessly  out  into  the  gloom 
beyond  the  illuminated  circle ;  and  as  if  communing 
with  his  own  thoughts,  began  to  whistle  in  a  low,  quiet 
tone.  To  one  who  was  accidentally  listening,  the  gam- 
bler's performance  would  have  been  most  entertaining, 
for  he  whistled  with  great  accuracy  of  time  and  liquid- 
ness  of  tone ;  and  the  silent  air  of  the  evening  received 
the  notes  as  only  the  still  air  can, — as  if  delighted  to 
be  ministered  unto  by  so  sweet  a  sound.  It  was  evident 
that  the  man  who  trusted  in  luck  was  naturally  gifted 
in  the  direction  in  which  he  was  now  exercising  him- 
self, and  as  is  generally  the  case,  enjoyed  the  exercise 
of  his  gifts,  for  he  whistled  with  that  self-complacency 
and  increasing  volume  of  sound  which  characterizes  a 
performer  who  begins  his  performance  from  an  accidental 
impulse,  but  delighted,  continues  to  do  it  for  his  own 


130  ADIRONDACK  TALES. 

hearty  entertainment.  He  whistled  at  first  frag- 
mentarily  —  a  bar  of  this  tune,  and  then  a  bar  of 
another.  Now  the  lively  movement  of  a  waltz,  and 
now  a  statelier  strain  from  an  old  solemn  hymn.  At 
last,  as  if  he  had  been  feeling  round  for  something 
adequate,  and  had  suddenly  come  upon  it,  he  paused  a 
moment,  and  then  struck  off  with  decided  movement, 
still  keeping  the  minor  tone,  the  cheerful  measure  of 
the  old  Methodist  hymn,  — 

"  Oh,  Canaan,  bright  Canaan, 
I  am  bound  for  the  land  of  Canaan, 
If  you  get  there  before  I  do  — 
I  am  bound  for  the  land  of  Canaan." 

Before  he  had  come  to  the  end  of  the  first  stanza,  the 
earnestness  of  his  expression  had  decidedly  increased, 
and  when  he  struck  off  on  the  second  stanza  he  did  it  with 
an  emphasis  of  expression  and  an  unction  that  would 
have  delighted  a  company  of  earnest  souls  from  whom 
was  mercifully  concealed  the  irreverence  of  the  per- 
former's life ;  for  the  notes  came  out  smooth,  round, 
and  strong,  and  with  a  certain  swing  in  the  upward 
slide  that  imparted  something  of  their  own  cheerful 
exultation  to  whoever  might  be  listening.  What  is 
that  strange  law  within  us  which  prompts  us  to  imitate 
and  join  in  a  sound  which  moves  us  profoundly  ?  We 
have  all  felt  the  influence.  We  have  all  yielded  to  it. 
It  is  said  that  one  singer  can  make  a  whole  congrega- 
tion sing.  Such  is  the  magnetism  of  example ;  such 
the  responsiveness  of  sympathy. 

Now,  Jim  Bean  was  a  whistler  himself.     He  was  a 


THE  MYSTERY  OF  THE   WOODS.  131 

Methodist.  He  had  been  educated  in  that  positive  and 
earnest  school  of  music  which  Methodism  favors.  He 
was  by  no  means  a  man  devoid  of  emotional  development. 
Like  all  New  England  born  men,  memory  held  power- 
ful sway  over  his  feelings.  However  far  or  wide  the 
rankee  roams,  there  is  one  spot  and  one  face  he  never 
forgets.  The  spot  and  the  face  I  need  not  mention ; 
the  reader  can  guess. 

Jim  Bean  was  a  Yankee ;  he  was  away  from  home ; 
ic  was  a  whistler ;  he  was  a  Methodist,  and  being  all 
this,  what  would  be  natural  for  him  to  do,  under  the 
circumstances  ? 

If  you  are  a  whistler,  reader,  stop  a  moment,  and 
whistle  a  strain  or  two  of  the  tune  yourself.  Do  it 
heartily.  If  you  are  a  Methodist,  and  you  have  a 
whistler  in  your  family,  get  him  to  whistle  with  brave 
and  earnest  expression  a  stanza.  Let  him  whistle  with 
increasing  power.  Let  him  swell  the  volume  of  his 
tone  as  he  advances  from  word  to  word.  Have  him 
prolong  the  closing  note  of  the  lines  with  a  strong  up- 
ward movement.  If  you  will  do  this,  you  will  under- 
stand the  startling  occurrence  to  whose  description  I 
am  conducting  you. 

What  happened  ?  This :  The  gambler,  as  we  have 
said,  had  whistled  in  a  minor  tone  the  first  stanza.  He 
had  warmed  to  the  work  as  he  whistled.  In  his  earn- 
estness, and  the  absent-mindedness  which  accompanies 
strong  feeling  and  leads  one  to  incongruous  action,  not 
only  had  he  whistled,  but  he  had  begun  to  beat  the 
measure  with  his  foot,  and  had  actually  taken  a  pack 


132  ADIRONDACK  TALES. 

of  cards  from  his  pocket  and  was  shuffling  them  in  per- 
fect time  with  the  swinging  measure  of  the  cheerful 
strain.  And  when  he  struck  into  the  first  line  of  the 
second  stanza,  after  having  ended  the  refrain  of  the 
previous  verse  with  a  triumphant  flourish  of  sound,  he 
was  going  it  with  an  unction  and  positiveness  of  ex- 
pression that  made  it  unresistible  to  one  whose  nature 
and  training  exposed  him  to  the  pressure  of  such  a 
temptation. 

It  is  not  certain  that  poor  Bean  intended  to  whistle. 
It  is  doubtful  if  he  himself  knew  when  he  began  to 
whistle;  but  begin  he  did, — mentally  at  first,  doubt- 
less ;  but  the  movement  of  the  brain  descended  to  the 
mouth,  communicated  its  vibrations  to  the  tongue,  and 
ran  its  tuneful  contractions  around  the  lips.  But  no 
matter  how  the  terrible  result  was  reached,  it  was 
reached;  for,  before  the  gambler  had  gone  half  way 
through  the  second  line  of  the  second  stanza,  Jim  Bean 
joined  in  the  tune,  —  somewhat  timidly  at  first,  but 
with  growing  earnestness  as  he  proceeded,  and  by  the 
time  the  gambler  had  come  to  the  refrain  the  Yankee 
was  going  it  at  the  full  strength  of  his  whistling  ca- 
pacity, and  the  lines 

"  Oh,  praise  the  Lord,  I'm  coining  too, 
I'm  bound  for  the  land  of  Canaan ! " 

were  delivered  with  a  volume  of  sound  that  astonished 
even  the  gambler. 

Still  the  Yankee  had  whistled  in  such  perfect  time 
and  with  such  concerted  action,  that  beyond  the  over 


THE  MYSTERY  OF  THE  WOODS.'  133 

whelming  increase  of  sound  there  was  not  the  least 
intimation  conveyed  to  the  gambler's  mind  that  he  had 
been  accompanied.  It  is  true  that  he  paused  a  moment 
at  the  end  of  the  refrain.  Perhaps  he  looked  at  the 
log.  Perhaps  he  listened.  He  certainly  stopped  shuf- 
fling the  pack ;  his  face  wore  a  puzzled  expression ;  for 
an  instant  he  even  looked  around  as  if  to  note  if  any 
one  was  watching  him.  Then  he  said  "  Pshaw !  "  and 
struck  off  with  a  rush  into  a  repetition  of  the  second 
stanza,  as  if  he  would  repeat  the  enjoyment  he  had  re- 
ceived, while  foot  and  cards  renewed  their  measured 
motion. 

Nor  was  our  friend  Bean  behind  time.  The  refrain 
had  fairly  warmed  him  to  his  work,  and  the  first  note 
that  poured  from  the  gambler's  lips,  found  him  ready 
and  waiting.  It  is  doubtful  if  the  gambler  was 
ever  "assisted"  with  greater  heartiness,  for  the  Yankee 
let  out  with  his  full  strength.  Indeed,  he  overdid  the 
thing.  Perhaps  his  tones  were  by  nature  stronger  than 
the  gambler's ;  perhaps  the  curvature  of  the  hollow 
bark,  in  which  he  lay,  added  to  the  volume  of  the  res- 
onance. Be  that  as  it  may,  by  the  time  he  had  come 
to  the  refrain  the  gambler  was  fully  aware  that  he  had 
a  partner  in  the  game  he  was  playing,  and  that  the 
partner  was  far  from  being  a  "  dummy." 

The  gambler  was  not  only  aware  of  it,  but  the 
knowledge  was  of  so  startling  a  character  that  even 
his  supreme  coolness  was  for  once  disturbed,  and  his 
system  received  something  nigh,  at  least,  to  a  shock. 
He  came  to  a  full  stop.  But  the  Yankee  was  too  far 


134  ADIRONDACK  TALES. 

advanced  in  feeling,  and  too  wrapt  in  the  energy  of 
his  own  performance,  to  even  know  that  his  leader  had 
paused.  It  is  doubtful  whether  if  he  had,  it  would 
have  put  any  check  to  his  tuneful  career,  for  onward  he 
swept  into  the  refrain,  at  a  pace  which  carried  every- 
thing before  it.  The  hollow  encasement  resounded 
with  noise.  The  fibres  of  the  bark  fairly  quivered  with 
the  penetrating  melody.  The  notes  poured  out  of 
either  extremity  in  a  torrent.  The  performance  was, 
indeed,  of  a  most  astonishing  character.  The  gambler 
was  thoroughly  bewildered.  He  looked  at  the  log, 
from  whose  bulk  the  tune  was  being  poured,  with  as- 
tonishment. He  never  suspected  the  trick,  and  yet  he 
knew  that  something  was  wrong.  Was  it  in  himself  ? 
No.  He  knew  he  was  wide  awake.  He  was  a  deter- 
mined man  —  quick  to  decide,  quick  to  act ;  —  fearless. 
He  took  half  a  dozen  steps  forward ;  they  brought  him 
within  reach  of  the  bark.  He  drew  back  his  foot. 

"  Devil  take  the  log,"  he  said,  and  kicked  it. 

The  toe  of  his  boot  penetrated  the  bark,  and  struck 
square  against  Jim  Bean's  ribs. 

The  yell  which  the  poor  fellow  poured  forth  upon  the 
air  was  fierce  and  prolonged  enough  to  startle  even 
the  bravest.  The  outlaws  asleep  by  the  fire  sprang 
bewildered  and  frightened,  to  their  feet.  The  gambler 
recoiled  a  step,  surprised  at  the  terrible  revelation  his 
kick  had  caused.  The  bark  lifted  one  end  of  itself  — 
stood  up  erect  —  moved  toward  him  —  began  to  open. 
Then  a  voice  said,  — 

"Hit  a  man  in  the  ribs,  will  yeou,  for  whistlin'  a 


THE  MYSTERY  OF  THE  WOODS.       135 

tune  ;  darn  yeou  —  take  that."  And  a  fist  shot  out  of 
the  opening  directly  at  the  gambler's  face ;  while  the 
bark,  thrown  backward  by  the  motion,  fell  with  a  crash 
to  the  ground  ;  and  the  Yankee,  wrathful  and  ready  for 
fight,  stood  revealed  in  the  firelight. 

It  was  of  the  nature  of  the  highest  proof  of  the  gam- 
bler's coolness  in  emergencies,  that  he  escaped  the 
terrible  blow  that  the  Yankee  had  aimed  at  him ;  but 
he  did  escape  it,  warding  it  with  a  motion  so  quick  and 
skilful  that  it  afforded  full  evidence  both  of  his  self- 
possession  and  his  knowledge  of  the  manly  art. 

The  instant  that  the  bark  fell  away  from  around  the 
Yankee's  body,  thus  leaving  him  fully  exposed  to  the 
eyes  of  the  outlaws,  they  recognized  him  as  the  man  who 
had  come  to  the  Trapper's  assistance  the  night  before, 
and  by  whose  efforts  they  had  been  thwarted  in  their 
murderous  designs,  and  with  a  yell  of  fierce  delight 
rushed  in  a  body  upon  him.  But  the  Bean  blood  was 
up,  and  the  reckless  courage  of  the  Down-Easter  aroused. 
The  first  one  that  came  within  reach  he  met  with  a  kick 
in  the  stomach  that  doubled  him  up  with  sudden  pain. 
But,  unfortunately  for  him,  he  had  put  such  force  into 
the  kick  and  delivered  it  at  so  long  a  range,  that  it  up- 
set his  own  equilibrium,  and  when  his  other  two  assail- 
ants came  against  him  he  was  unable  to  recover  his 
balance  in  time  to  save  himself,  and  was  only  able,  as 
he  rolled  upon  the  ground,  to  drag  them  both  with 
him. 

It  was  not  until  he  was  thus  engaged  in  a  rough  and 
tumble  contest,  and  was  rolling  over  and  over  on  the 


136  ADIRONDACK  TALES. 

ground  in  desperate  grapple  with  his  antagonists,  that 
the  injunction  of  the  Trapper  to  run  if  he  could  and 
not  fight,  occurred  to  him.  It  was  then,  too,  that  he 
remembered  the  signal  agreed  upon  —  the  hoot  of  an  owl 
as  a  note  of  danger,  and  the  bark  of  a  fox,  to  give  the 
direction  of  his  flight,  if  he  had  to  run  for  it.  But 
faithful  to  his  promise,  no  sooner  did  he  recall  the 
agreement  with  the  Trapper  than  he  strove  to  fulfil  it. 
It  is  certain  that  no  owl  ever  sounded  such  a  cry  upon 
the  night  air  as  the  Yankee,  in  attempted  imitations  of 
the  lonely  call,  poured  out  of  his  mouth  as  he  grappled 
with  the  outlaws. 

In  vain  did  the  gambler  strive  to  help  his  com- 
panions. The  contestants  were  in  too  rapid  motion 
and  too  inextricably  mingled  to  be  separated  or  even 
distinguished  in  the  darkness  ;  for  as  they  fought  they 
had  rolled  away  from  the  firelight  toward  the  water, 
and  were  already  almost  indistinguishable  in  the  gloom. 
In  a  moment  the  Yankee,  by  a  lucky  motion,  recovered 
his  feet,  and  unmindful  of  the  Trapper's  direction, 
darted  away,  while  he  poured  out  of  his  mouth  a  series 
of  barks  and  owl  cries,  which  proved  both  his  entire 
incapacity  to  imitate  the  sounds,  and  his  determination 
to  make  up  in  extra  energy  of  expression  for  the  time 
he  had  lost  in  executing  the  signals.  But  unfortu- 
nately for  him,  in  his  confusion,  he  had  mistaken  the 
direction  of  the  boat,  and  instead  of  taking  the  course 
he  should  have  done,  he  ran  directly  through  the  camp 
and  actually  into  the  arms  of  the  giant ! 

The  old  Trapper  had  not  been  idle.     Brief  as  the 


THE  MYSTERY  OF  THE   WOODS.  137 

struggle  on  the  beach  had  been,  he  too  had  been  called 
upon  to  act.  When  the  cry  of  his  companion  had  first 
sounded,  and  the  terrible  uproar  arose  around  the  camp 
fire,  he  was  lying,  as  we  have  described,  by  the  big 
tent,  in  the  act  of  putting  his  eye  to  the  rent  he  had 
cut  in  the  canvas.  Of  course  the  yell  of  the  Yankee 
had  put  a  stop  to  his  investigations.  He  had  even 
moved  several  feet  away  from  the  tent,  and  lying  on 
the  ground  in  the  darkness,  was  listening  for  the  move- 
ment of  the  man  whom  he  had  crept  past,  and  who 
he  knew  was  somewhere  in  the  darkness  back  of  him. 
Nor  had  he  long  to  wait.  In  an  instant  the  rush  of 
feet  was  heard,  and  the  old  man  knew  he  was  coming. 
The  giant  had  risen  and  even  advanced  several  rods 
toward  the  centre  of  the  camp,  whence  the  noise  of  the 
conflict  came. 

The  old  Trapper  was  thus  in  the  rear  of  all  the  occu- 
pants of  the  camp  except  the  sentinel,  whose  swift 
approach  he  could  plainly  hear.  As  he  passed  the  old 
man  in  the  darkness,  an  arm  was  suddenly  thrust  out, 
and  he  was  pitched  headlong  to  the  ground ;  and  before 
he  could  even  cry  out  a  hand  had  him  by  the  neck  and 
a  grasp  was  fastened  on  his  throat  that  effectually  pre- 
vented his  giving  an  alarm.  Thus  the  man  lay  on  the 
ground,  and  the  Trapper  by  his  side  with  his  hand  on 
his  throat.  If  the  Trapper  had  only  known  it  was  the 
half-breed  he  thus  held  in  his  grasp ! 

The  Yankee,  as  we  have  said,  confused  and  mistaking 
the  right  direction,  had  run  into  the  very  arms  of  the 
giant. 


138  ADIRONDACK  TALES. 

The  velocity  with  which  he  was  running  when  the 
collision  with  his  enemy  occurred,  was  sufficient  to  make 
the  shock  a  terrible  one  to  both.  Indeed,  it  nearly 
knocked  the  breath  out  of  their  bodies.  Both  recovered 
themselves  at  the  same  instant ;  and  both,  thoroughly 
enraged,  sprang  upon  each  other  with  the  ferocity  of 
wild  animals.  The  Yankee  was  nearly  as  tall  as  the 
giant,  and  what  he  lacked  in  strength  was  at  least  par- 
tially made  up  by  his  greater  agility.  For  a  minute 
the  contestants  tore  about,  this  way  and  that,  through 
the  darkness,  like  a  whirlwind.  Twice  they  fell  to  the 
ground,  and  twice  they  arose, — only  to  renew  their 
deadly  embrace.  As  they  fought,  other  forms  appeared 
in  the  gloom ;  and  the  Trapper,  who  was  still  lying  on 
the  ground  with  his  hand  on  the  throat  of  the  half- 
breed,  felt  that  the  crisis  had  come,  and  that  now,  if 
ever,  he  must  aid  his  companion.  In  an  instant  the 
moment  for  him  to  act  came.  The  giant  had,  by  the 
exercise  of  his  terrible  strength,  fairly  tossed  the  Yankee 
into  the  air,  and  when  he  struck  the  ground  he  landed 
in  the  very  midst  of  the  outlaws  and  the  gambler,  who 
were  standing  as  spectators  of  the  terrible  encounter. 

The  Yankee,  feeling  that  all  were  his  enemies,  and 
careless  as  to  whom  he  fought  with;  his  Down  East 
grit  fairly  aroused,  no  sooner  struck  the  ground,  than 
he  laid  hold  of  as  many  as  he  could  sweep  within  his 
embrace,  and  pouring  a  torrent  of  owl  hoots,  cat  calls, 
and  fox  barks  out  of  his  mouth,  started  with  an  outlaw 
under  either  arm,  in  full  tilt  for  the  beach :  him  the 
others  followed.  The  giant,  slowest  to  move,  last. 


THE  MYSTERY  OF  THE   WOODS.  139 

This  was  the  Trapper's  opportunity.  With  a  farewell 
pinch  at  the  throat  his  fingers  encircled,  he  arose  to  his 
feet,  and  before  the  giant  had  taken  two  strides,  a 
hand  fell  heavily  on  his  shoulder,  and  a  power  equal  to 

his  own  spun  him  around  on  his  feet  and  a  voice  said, 

"  The  boy  has  enough  arter  him.  Try  me." 
The  contest  which  followed  cannot  be  described.  It 
was  the  struggle  of  two  men,  both  of  enormous 
strength,  and  neither  of  whom  had  ever  been  thrown. 
The  contestants  were  in  deadly  earnest  from  the  start. 
There  were  no  feints,  —  no  tricks  of  fence ;  no  scientific 
delays.  They  grappled  each  other  with  that  directness 
of  attack  warranted  by  their  knowledge  of  their 
strength  and  inspired  by  unquestioning  courage.  The 
Trapper  was  the  more  agile  of  the  two,  and  prudence 
would  have  suggested  that  he  prolong  the  contest,  and 
add  to  his  chances  by  wrestling  at  arm's  length ;  but 
either  from  fear  that  his  opponent  might  receive  re- 
enforcement  if  he  delayed,  or  because  he  disdained  to 
avail  himself  of  the  least  natural  advantage,  he  met 
the  giant  breast  to  breast,  in  the  deadly  lock  known  as 
the  "  back  hold,"  their  knuckles  in  each  other's  spine, 
and  their  bodies  braced.  It  was  a  square  test  —  mus- 
cle against  muscle,  bone  against  bone,  grit  against  grit. 
For  thirty  seconds  neither  yielded  ;  —  not  a  quiver  in 
either  frame ;  no  slacking  of  the  terrible  tension. 
Then  the  end  came.  A  spasm  ran  through  the  body 
of  the  Trapper's  monstrous  antagonist.  His  clasped 
hands  loosened,  unlocked,  fell  to  his  side ;  his  form  lost 
its  stiffness,  yielded  to  the  old  man's  hug,  doubled 


140  ADIRONDACK  TALES. 

backward,  and,  as  the  Trapper  let  go  his  hold,  the  huge 
body  of  his  foe  fell,  in  a  limp  heap,  to  the  ground. 

At  the  same  instant  a  yell  of  triumph  sounded  from 
the  beach ;  and  the  Trapper  knew  that  the  Yankee  was 
a  captive. 

"  The  vagabonds  have  got  the  boy ! "  he  muttered. 
For  a  moment  he  stood  listening.  He  even  drew  his 
knife.  But  wiser  counsel  prevailed  :  he  drove  it  back 
into  its  sheath,  saying,  "  I'll  settle  with  the  varmints 
when  the  sun  shows  me  the  sights;"  and  then  he 
turned  on  his  heel  and  plunged  into  the  woods. 


THE  MYSTERY  OF  THE  WOODS.  141 


CHAPTER  X. 

SEVEN  miles  down  the  river  from  the  lake  is  a  flight 
of  rapids.  For  a  mile  and  a  half  the  current  tears  its 
way  down  a  declivity  paved  with  jagged  rocks  and 
lined  roughly  on  either  side  with  angular  ledges.  Here 
and  there  the  river  widens  and  a  pool  sleeps  all  the  day 
in  the  sunlight.  But  for  the  most  part,  through  the 
whole  distance  the  water  pushes  angrily  against  the  op- 
posing boulders;  or,  finding  freedom,  glides  swiftly 
over  the  smooth  rock  bottom,  which  slopes  sharply 
down,  quivering  with  the  swiftness  of  its  motion.  At 
the  foot  of  the  rapids  the  stream  empties  itself  into  a 
basin,  broad,  deep,  and  long.  A  huge  ledge  on  the 
eastern  side  juts  out  into  the  depths.  Back  of  this  and 
down  the  stream,  a  green  lawn  widens,  on  the  northern 
side  of  which,  a  huge  rock  stands  —  a  natural  camp ; 
and  many  a  boat  has  rested  in  the  basin,  many  a  fisher 
cast  from  the  ledge  his  flies,  and  many  a  camp-fire  has 
burnt  at  the  base  of  the  rock. 

Was  it  dawn  ?  Had  morning  come  ?  A  man  rose 
from  the  earth  on  which  he  had  been  sleeping,  stretched 
himself,  glanced  upward  at  the  sky,  then  toward  the 
eastern  mountain,  interrogating  nature.  It  was  yet 
dark,  no  light  abroad.  He  thrust  his  foot  against  some 
brands,  and  as  they  came  into  conjunction  they  gener- 
ously joined  their  heat,  and  from  the  ashes  a  flame  shot 


142  ADIRONDACK  TALES. 

upward,  lighting  the  great  rock,  the  plat  of  green  grass, 
and  the  watcher's  face.  I  need  not  introduce  him  to 
the  reader  of  these  tales.  It  was  Herbert;  Henry 
Herbert,  on  his  way  to  the  old  Trapper's  camp. 

For  a  moment  he  stood  gazing  into  the  brands.  His 
boat,  from  under  which  he  had  crept  when  he  arose, 
lay  a  few  feet  back  of  him.  A  glance  at  its  bottom 
revealed  the  fact  that  it  had  recently  met  with  an  ac- 
cident, for  a  piece  of  tin  had  been  tacked  to  the  sheath- 
ing, to  which  putty  and  white  lead  both  had  been 
plentifully  applied.  The  young  man  turned  about,  and 
as  his  eyes  fell  on  the  mended  portion,  he  said,  — 

"  Confound  the  snag ;  if  it  hadn't  been  for  that  I 
would  have  reached  the  cabin  last  evening.  I  don't 
understand  why  I  feel  as  I  do,  but  I  wish  I  had  run  in 
last  night.  It  is  the  first  time  I  have  dreamed  for  a 
year.  I  dreamed  that  the  dogs  were  dead,  and  John 
Norton  chased  out  of  the  woods.  What  a  funny  idea  ! 
They  say  dreams  go  by  contraries.  I  hope  they  do. 
But  still  I  don't  see  what  made  me  dream." 

The  young  man  paused  a  moment,  took  four  or  five 
steps  away  from  the  fire  and  then  came  back  and 
added,  — 

"  It  is  not  the  dream,  either ;  it's  something  beside 
that,  —  an  uneasy  feeling.  I  don't  understand  it.  I 
think  I  saw  a  thousand  John  Nortons  and  a  thousand 
dogs  running  for  life  last  night.  Heavens !  to  think 
the  old  man  is  in  danger,  and  I  sleeping  here  only 
seven  miles  away.  Pshaw!  it's  all  imagination,  born 
of  ill  digestion.  I  guess  I  ate  a  little  strong  on  the 


THE  MYSTERY  OF  THE   WOODS.  143 

carry/'  and  the  young  man  laughed  to  himself  at  the 
remembrance  of  the  meal,  at  which,  it  must  be  con- 
fessed, he  had  done  ample  justice  to  his  appetite, 
begotten  by  the  northern  air  and  twenty  miles  of  vig- 
orous rowing.  "Ah!  there  it  comes!"  alluding,  as  he 
spoke,  to  the  thinnest  possible  film  of  light  that  had 
spread  itself,  even  while  he  had  been  standing  by  the 
fire,  over  the  clouds.  "There  it  comes,"  he  added. 
"Yes;  the  mountain  line  shows  less  darkly.  The  morn- 
ing is  most  here,  and  I  will  be  on  the  carry  in  half  an 
hour." 

He  threw  some  more  wood  on  the  fire  burning  at  the 
base  of  the  rock,  and  carefully  unrolling  a  blanket,  he 
drew  out  of  it  a  double  rifle,  —  the  favorite  piece,  —  the 
match  to  the  Trapper's,  already  known  to  the  reader ; 
and  he  looked  at  it  admiringly,  renewed  the  caps,  and 
wiped  the  tubes  with  the  buckskin  patch  tied  round  the 
stock,  tried  the  locks  and  the  set,  —  not  as  if  inspecting 
it,  but  as  if  it  was  a  delight  to  look  at  the  weapon  he 
loved  so  well,  and  hear  the  working  of  its  parts  come 
sharply  to  his  ear.  So  he  busied  himself  a  moment ; 
then  he  laid  it  down  upon  the  blanket,  and  went  to  the 
river  to  wash.  He  plunged  his  head  into  the  cool 
waters  clear  to  the  neck ;  then  lifted  his  face  and  shook 
the  water  from  his  hair  and  laughed  as  a  child  at  play ; 
dipped  and  laughed  three  times,  as  if  the  tide  had 
washed  from  out  his  memory  the  recollection  of  all 
cares  and  troubles,  and  all  duties  that  bring  these,  and 
he  were  but  a  healthy  boy,  happy  in  his  careless  inde- 
pendence. Perhaps  it  were  well  if  all  of  us,  who  carry 


144  ADIRONDACK  TALES. 

burdens  such  as  life  burdens  us  with,  should  find  that 
cooling  tide,  and  dip  our  heads  into  it  and  laugh  as 
happily. 

Then,  cooled  with  that  delicious  coolness  that  a  head 
bath  brings  to  the  circulation  when  taken  in  a  secluded 
spot  in  the  cool  dawn,  he  returned  to  the  fire,  gathered 
a  bough  of  balsam,  placed  it  on  the  coals,  and  thrust 
his  nose  into  the  smoke  to  smell  it ;  then  hemlock  fol- 
lowed ;  then  pine  growing  nigh ;  then  cedar. 

"  Yes,"  he  said,  "  all  are  good,  for  the  scent  of  the 
Lord  is  in  them,  as  the  old  Trapper  says ;  but  the  cedar 
is  the  sweetest.  Its  soft  vapor  absolutely  feels  cool  as 
it  rolls  up  into  the  face.  And  what  delicious  pungency 
the  nose  inhales!  Why  do  those  with  senses  live  in 
cities  ?  Is  it  because  they  know  so  little  of  odor,  and 
think  that  the  ear  and  the  eye  are  the  chief  avenues  by 
which  pleasure  can  come  to  man  ?  " 

Thus,  talking  to  himself,  the  young  man  waited  for 
the  coming  light  —  waited  impatiently ;  but  nature 
never  hurries.  Beautiful  as  she  is,  serviceable  as  she 
is,  she  has  no  sympathy.  We  chafe  at  her  tardiness,  but 
she  never  quickens  her  step.  We  regret  her  haste,  but 
she  continues  her  speed.  Whether  we  be  happy  and 
call  her  swift,  or  whether  we  be  anxious  and  upbraid 
her  tardiness,  she  changes  neither  her  mood  nor  her 
motion.  Her  light  is  the  same  whether  it  shines  on 
cradle  or  grave ;  and  the  glory  of  her  brightness  is 
poured  with  equal  energy  on  those  who  welcome  it,  and 
those  who  hide  from  its  coming. 

We  say  the  young  man  waited  impatiently,  but  still 


THE  MYSTERY  OF  THE  WOODS.  145 

with  a  certain  philosophy  mingled  with  his  impatience  ; 
for  as  he  waited  he  took  a  stick,  and  with  it  hung  a 
little  kettle  over  the  flame,  and  when  the  water  boiled 
he  set  the  kettle  in  the  warm  ashes,  sprinkled  in  some 
leaves  of  the  tea  and  watched  it  as  it  steeped ;  then  he 
took  some  biscuit  from  his  pocket,  a  small  roll  of  jerked 
venison,  and  on  these  made  his  frugal  repast.  He 
closed  the  meal  with  pouring  the  steeped  tea  into  his 
drinking  cup,  and  having  cooled  it  to  his  taste  he 
said,  — 

"  I  drink  John  Norton's  health.  May  the  morning 
find  him  as  it  finds  me :  well,  happy,  and  at  peace." 
He  said  this  quaintly,  with  a  look  of  half  gravity  and 
half  jest.  Perhaps  his  dream  troubled  him ;  perhaps 
the  exuberance  of  his  feelings  prompted  the  half  serious 
and  half  jocular  act.  If  he  had  known  where  John 
Norton  was  at  that  moment ! 

The  morning  light  was  now  abroad.  The  sky  showed 
itself.  Even  the  woods  were  surrendering  their  gloom. 
The  trail  that  led  round  the  rapids  was  plain,  at  least, 
to  a  trained  eye.  The  young  man  adjusted  his  baggage, 
tossed  the  boat,  across  which  the  yoke  was  resting,  upon 
his  shoulders,  gave  one  look  around  the  camp-fire  to 
see  if  aught  was  forgotten,  and  with  his  rifle  in  his 
left  hand,  his  right  balancing  the  boat,  he  broke  away 
almost  at  a  run  on  the  trail  that  led  around  the  rapids. 
He  reached  the  other  end,  breathed  himself  a  moment, 
then  stepped  quickly  in  and  shoved  the  light  craft  away. 
His  oars  took  the  water  strongly.  The  boat  jumped 
ahead  under  the  sharp  stroke.  It  turned  the  curves  as 


146  ADIRONDACK  TALES. 

true  as  if  a  coxswain  steered  it.  It  took  the  long 
straight  reaches  as  if  running  by  a  compass  line.  It 
whirled  round  the  bends  as  if  the  force  of  steam  pushed 
it  along.  The  oarsman  warmed  to  his  work.  He  threw 
off  his  boating  shirt.  The  beads  of  sweat  stood  on  his 
face  and  neck.  He  lengthened  his  stroke  to  his  ex- 
tremest  reach.  The  boat  seemed  to  share  his  energy,, 
and  raced  onward  as  if  itself  were  vital. 

What  a  splendid  exhibition  of  strength  and  happy 
exercise  the  oarsman  gave  as  round  the  bends,  up  the 
straight  reaches,  and  underneath  the  overhanging  maples 
of  the  Racquette,  he  raced  along,  while  the  sun  kindled 
in  the  east,  and  the  clouds  that  hung  lazily  overhead 
turned  into  floating  flame. 

Half  the  distance  from  the  rapids  to  the  lake,  and 
more  than  half  had  been  covered,  and  the  young  man 
was  pulling  a  stroke  that  only  an  oarsman  pulls  when 
he  has  got  his  "  second  wind "  ;  a  stroke  that  was 
getting  all  the  speed  out  of  the  boat  that  it  was  capable 
of  showing,  when,  even  as  his  oars  were  in  mid-stroke, 
he  suddenly  threw  his  chest  forward  upon  the  handles. 

The  boat  stopped  ere  it  had  gone  ifs  length.  The 
oarsman  was  on  his  feet  in  an  instant,  rifle  in  hand,  eye 
intent,  and  face  almost  sharpened  with  intensity  of 
listening. 

"I  heard  them  whine,"  he  said;  "I'd  bet  my  life 
'twas"  — 

A  bay  of  hounds ;  a  cry  loud,  joyous  and  prolonged, 
swelled  out  of  the  margin  of  the  marsh,  not  fifty  rods 
from  where,  balanced  in  his  boat,  he  stood.  Then  silence. 


THE  MYSTERY  OF  THE  WOODS.  147 

Another  cry,  louder,  more  joyous,  prolonged  with 
many  a  repeated  bay !  The  cry  of  dogs,  glad  with  a 
sudden  and  overwhelming  surprise  as  of  a  master's  re- 
turn, broke  like  the  clash  of  a  chime  of  bells,  hurriedly 
rung,  upon  the  morning  air. 

The  young  man  standing  in  the  boat  never  stirred  an 
inch.  His  eye  searched  the  edges  of  the  banks  and 
the  neighboring  balsam  thicket,  as  if  to  discover  the 
explanation  of  the  mystery.  He  knew  the  dogs.  He 
knew  that  they  were  tied,  or  held  stationary  by  some- 
thing more  dreadful  than  a  leash.  The  muscles  round 
his  mouth  tightened.  Perhaps  a  shade  of  pallor 
showed  at  its  corners.  He  seated  himself,  laid  his  rule 
down,  backed  the  boat  into  the  mouth  of  the  creek, 
shoved  it  round  the  first  bend,  seized  his  rifle,  and 
stepped  ashore ;  then,  with  a  swinging  stride,  struck  in 
a  straight  line  toward  the  whimpering  hounds.  He 
reached  the  balsam  thicket, — beyond  which,  by  what 
charm  or  force  held  he  knew  not,  the  hounds  remained 
steadfastly, — and  stopped,  his  face  white  with  sudden 
terror.  The  hounds,  whimpering,  held  their  place. 
The  young  man  suddenly  reached  out  his  hand,  and, 
grasping  a  young  tamarack,  steadied  himself.  An 
awful  thought  had  come  to  him.  Why  were  the 
hounds  there,  miles  from  the  cabin,  in  a  season  when 
they  were  not  allowed  to  run?  Why  did  they  keep 
their  station  with  his  scent  strong  in  their  nose,  and 
wild  as  they  were  in  their  glad  welcoming?  The  young 
man  could  think  of  but  one  answer.  That  answer  was 
of  so  awful  a  sort  that  it  filled  him  with  a  deadly  faint. 


148  ADIRONDACK  TALES. 

Was  John  Norton  dead?  Were  the  hounds  guarding 
his  body?  If  he  should  break  through  the  balsam 
thicket  what  would  he  see?  For  a  moment,  we  say, 
he  stood  steadying  himself  by  the  tamarack,  then  he 
braced  himself,  moved  resolutely  on,  and  with  the  feel- 
ing of  one  breaking  into  an  awful  presence,  broke 
through  the  balsam  thicket  and  stopped. 

The  hounds  tied  to  the  pine.     Nothing  else ! 

"Thank  God!" 

It  was  all  he  said — 'twas  all  he  could  say;  for  as  he 
said  it,  he  dropped  upon  his  knees  and  putting  his 
arms  round  the  hounds'  necks,  kissed  them,  in  his  joy. 

For  a  moment  he  thus  knelt  with  his  arms  round 
their  necks,  then  he  rose  and  scanned  the  signs.  The 
hounds  tied,  the  dish  not  yet  empty  of  food,  the  leash 
long  enough  to  permit  the  hounds  to  reach  the  water, 
— yes,  'twas  all  plain;  he  read  the  story  as  if  written 
in  a  book. 

"  The  old  man  is  in  danger,"  he  said,  "  he  was  fear- 
ful that  the  hounds  would  be  killed ;  he  brought  them 
here  for  safety,  the  food  is  not  all  eaten,  and  the  dogs 
are  full.  It  wasn't  twenty-four  hours  ago.  But  what 
danger  threatens  him  ?  Has  that  half-breed  from  the 
north  come  down  with  his  gang,  and  are  they  round 
his  cabin  now?  It  can't  be.  I  heard  no  shot  last 
night,  and  even  now  the  fogs  have  lifted  so  that  lead 
might  be  sent  effectively." 

That  instant  a  rifle  cracked  sudden  and  sharp,  miles 
to  the  south. 

"  My  God/'  he  said, "  'tis  his ! "    And  the  young  man 


THE  MYSTERY  OF  THE  WOODS.        149 

tore  through  the  thicket,  and  raced  through  the  marsh 
grass  with  a  foot  swift  as  a  deer's,  and  face  fairly 
aflame. 

He  reached  his  boat,  shoved  down  the  creek,  out 
upon  the  easy  flowing  river ;  then  set  himself  a  stroke 
and  pulled  it  so  sharp  and  quick  that  the  oars  bent  and 
the  boat  jumped  like  a  frightened  thing. 

A  mile  from  the  lake  he  shipped  his  oars,  and  with 
his  paddle  pressed  the  boat  softly  up  against  a  ledge 
which  projected  into  the  stream,  stepped  out  upon  it, 
lifted  the  shell  in  his  arms  and  bore  it  back  into  the 
woods  to  where  a  bunch  of  cedars  stood,  thrust  it  under 
the  drooping  branches,  and  seizing  his  rifle  struck  for 
the  Trapper's  cabin. 

In  ten  minutes  he  was  near  the  edge  of  the  clearing. 
Then  he  paused  to  breathe  himself  and  listen.  Where 
was  the  Trapper  ?  In  the  cabin  ?  Perhaps.  Then  his 
enemies  were  probably  outlying  around  it,  and  he 
would  soon  be  in  their  midst.  He  must  ambush  the 
ambushment.  He  crept.  He  crawled.  He  circled  the 
clearing.  Not  a  sound  could  he  hear:  not  a  man  dis- 
cover. The  cabin  door  was  shut.  Was  any  one 
within?  How  could  he  tell?  Certainly  none  were 
without.  Signs  were  plenty:  footprints  by  the  spring; 
footprints  on  the  beach,  —  not  the  Trapper's.  In  the 
bush,  as  he  was  crawling,  he  found  a  knife.  The  blade 
had  blood  on  it.  He  stuck  it  in  his  belt,  and  crept  on. 
He  reached  the  corner  of  the  cabin,  —  listened.  No 
sound.  Crawled  around  to  the  door.  Put  his  ear  to  the 
threshold.  No  sound.  Knocked.  No  answer.  Looked 


150  ADIRONDACK  TALES. 

at  the  door  a  moment.  Tried  the  latch.  Lifted  it. 
And  then  with  both  barrels  of  his  rifle  cocked,  pushed 
it  open  and  stepped  quickly  in. 

Empty?  Certainly.  The  young  man  saw  that  at  a 
glance.  He  saw  more.  He  saw  the  singed  skins,  the 
burnt  blankets,  a  broken  chair,  and  said  aloud,  — 

"  There's  been  a  fight  here."  Then  he  closed  the 
door,  and  seated  himself. 

For  ten  minutes,  perhaps,  he  remained  thus  thinking. 
Where  was  the  Trapper  ?  What  should  he  do  next  ? 
What  is  that  ?  Was  not  that  a  man's  step  he  heard  ? 
Assuredly.  Somebody  was  coming  up  the  walk.  The 
unknown  came  on,  —  halted.  Came  on  again.  He 
was  now  at  the  door.  Then  a  knock  was  delivered  on 
the  stout  panel.  The  young  man  never  moved.  He 
simply  lifted  his  rifle  to  his  eye,  and  waited.  Another 
knock ;  then  the  door  was  suddenly  pushed  in,  and  a 
man,  with  a  cocked  revolver  in  his  hand,  stood  on  the 
threshold. 

"  If  you  lift  your  right  hand,  you're  a  dead  man." 
That  was  all  Herbert  said. 

The  man  in  the  door  was  of  medium  size.  He  never 
moved  a  muscle.  He  looked  coolly  into  the  muzzles  of 
the  rifle,  not  eight  feet  from  his  head,  then  at  the  face, 
whose  cheek  was  on  the  stock,  and  said,  — 

"All  right.     Ask  your  questions." 

Then  Herbert  said :  — 

"Who  are  you?" 

"A  detective,"  answered  the  man. 

"  Whom  do  you  want  ?  " 


THE  MYSTERY  OF  THE  WOODS.  151 

"John  Norton,"  was  the  reply. 

"What  for?" 

"  To  help  me  in  the  name  of  the  law,"  was  the  answer. 

"Lay  your  pistol  on  the  table  —  careful,"  said  Her- 
bert. The  man  complied.  Then  he  said, — 

"  Who  are  you  ?  " 

"  Henry  Herbert." 

The  man's  face  lighted. 

"  Mr.  Herbert,  I  know  you.  You  are  John  Norton's 
friend.  I've  heard  of  you.  It's  all  right.  Here's  my 
commission.  Read  it.  I'll  place  my  hands  on  the 
door,  flat,  while  you  look  it  over.  You  needn't  cover 
me  with  your  rule  longer,  the  muzzles  make  me  un- 
easy." And  the  man  laughed. 

Herbert  glanced  the  paper  over,  uncocked  his  rifle  — 
rose,  extended  his  hand  to  the  stranger,  saying,  — 

"  I've  heard  of  you,  Mr.  Carson.  I'm  glad  to  meet 
you."  And  the  two  shook  hands  heartily.  "What 
can  we  do  ?  Where  is  John  Norton  ?  Sit  down.  Let 
me  tell  you  what  I  know." 

The  two  men  seated  themselves,  and  Henry  told  the 
detective  his  story :  where  he  had  camped  the  night 
before ;  how  he  had  come  upon  the  hounds  on  his  way 
up,  who  had  scented  him  as  he  was  passing ;  how  he 
had  heard  the  rifle  shot,  and  knew  it  was  the  Trapper's ; 
how  he  had  ambushed  the  cabin,  and  entered ;  pointed 
out  to  the  detective  the  signs  of  fire  and  battle  which 
the  bedding,  the  skins,  and  the  furniture  made ;  showed 
the  knife,  with  the  bloody  blade,  he  had  found  in  the 
bush ;  and  as  he  ended,  he  said,  — 


152  ADIRONDACK  TALES. 

"Now,  what  I  wish  to  know  is,  where  is  John 
Norton?" 

"I  think,"  replied  the  detective,  "I  can  help  you. 
You  heard  his  rifle.  Well,  'twas  to  the  south,  here 
away.  There  has  been  a  fight  here  :  the  old  man  has 
won.  /  knoiv  who  fought  him,"  and  the  detective 
looked  steadily  into  Herbert's  eyes. 

"Who?" 

"  The  very  gang  I  am  after.  I  have  followed  them 
from  Canada.  They  have  something  I  want  —  no  mat- 
ter what,  I  will  tell  you  the  story  another  time.  I 
tracked  them  into  the  woods  and  lost  their  trail  'on 
upper  Saranac.  No  one  had  seen  them.  A  guide  — 
he  was  half  drunk  —  told  me  that  if  I  wanted  to  find 
anything  in  the  woods,  that  the  devil  himself  couldn't 
find,  all  I  had  to  do  was  to  find  John  Norton  first.  Of 
course  I  have  heard  of  him.  I  took  the  hint ;  and  as 
Wild  Bill  —  that  was  the  fellow's  name  —  told  me  the 
old  man  had  his  cabin  here,  I  started  for  this  lake.  It 
was  well  I  did.  John  Norton  is  here.  You  heard  his 
piece,  and  the  gang  I  am  following  is  here,  also.  I 
feel  confident  of  it.  See  the  points  of  the  case.  The 
old  man  has  run  against  them,  and  suspected  them. 
They  suspected  him.  Hence  the  collision.  They  fought 
him  in  his  cabin  here.  He  won.  How,  God  knows,  I 
don't.  For  there  are  seven,  all  told,  and  desperate 
chaps  as  ever  dirked  a  man.  But  beaten  them  he  has. 
He  has  followed  them.  Their  camp  is  somewhere  on 
this  lake,  and  John  Norton,  Mr.  Herbert,  is  watching 
round  that  camp  this  minute."  And  the  detective 
sprang  to  his  feet  with  his  eyes  blazing. 


THE  MYSTERY  OF  THE   WOODS.  153 

Herbert  rose  too.  He  touched  the  detective  on  the 
arm,  and  said, — 

"Come  out  here."  He  walked  to  the  bank  that 
overlooked  the  lake,  the  other  following. 

Then  he  said,  looking  the  detective  in  the  face,  — 

"  You  said  John  Norton  is  on  this  lake  ?  " 

"I  did,"  answered  the  detective. 

"  I  think  so  too,"  answered  Herbert.  "  If  he  is  on 
this  lake  and  alive,  he  will  be  here  within  an  hour, 
unless  he  is  captured." 

"  What  do  you  mean  ?  "  asked  the  detective. 

"I  mean  this,"  Herbert  replied ;  and  the  right  bar- 
rel, resting  in  the  hollow  of  his  right  arm,  exploded  at 
the  word. 

An  instant,  and  then  the  left  followed,  with  its  sharp 
report. 

The  two  men  listened  until  the  echoes  died  away  in 
the  ravines  far  up  the  mountains,  and  then  Herbert 
said,  — 

"  If  living  and  unbound,  you  will  see  John  Norton 
within  an  hour.  Here  is  a  log.  We  will  wait,"  and 
the  two  men  seated  themselves. 

While  this  had  been  transpiring  at  the  hunter's 
cabin,  they  were  having  a  lively  time  at  the  camp  on 
the  Point. 


154  ADIRONDACK  TALES. 


CHAPTER   XI. 

THE  Trapper,  as  we  have  narrated,  heard  the  yell  of 
the  outlaws  which  proclaimed  that  the  Yankee  was  a 
prisoner,  and  plunged  into  the  woods.  He  went  but  a 
few  rods,  for  the  friendly  gloom  was  his  all-sufficient 
protection,  and  he  was  anxious  to  ascertain  the  fate  of 
his  companion.  He  even  partly  retraced  his  steps  that 
he  might  the  better  hear  the  conversation  of  his  ene- 
mies and  thereby  learn  their  plans. 

In  a  few  moments  the  four  outlaws  and  the  gambler, 
with  the  Yankee  tightly  bound  in  their  midst,  came  up 
from  the  beach  anxiously  looking  for  the  half-breed 
and  the  giant,  whose  absence  seemed  to  them  unac- 
countable. They  found  them  both  lying  almost  side  by 
side  and  both  of  them  in  a  dazed  condition.  The  half- 
breed  slowly  recovered  his  senses  and  explained  how 
he  had  been  dealt  with,  and  by  whom.  For  well  did 
he  know  whose  skill  had  eluded  his  watchfulness  and 
whose  hand  had  set  its  grip  on  his  throat. 

"  John  Norton  has  been  here,"  he  said,  with  a  bitter 
oath.  "  He  crawled  into  the  heart  of  the  camp  here, 
passing  under  my  very  nose,  and  I  did  not  see  him.  He 
has  come  and  gone  as  if  we  were  boys.  He  it  is  that 
nearly  strangled  me,  and  the  giant  there  can  tell  you 
the  rest." 

The  monstrous  being  thus  alluded  to  staggered  to  his 


THE  MYSTERY  OF  THE   WOODS.  155 

feet,  a  groan  escaping  from  him  as  he  made  the  effort, 
and  leaning  against  a  tree  for  support,  said,  — 

"  The  man  is  a  devil.  I  had  the  under  hold  and  yet 
he  broke  my  back.  Kunnel,  I'm  no  good  after  this. 
Give  me  a  boat,  and  I  will  get  out  of  the  woods."  His 
spirit  was  evidently  crushed  and  his  rude  courage  — 
born  of  a  confidence  in  his  immense  physical  strength — 
broken. 

"Look  here,"  said  the  gambler,  and  he  spoke  in  a 
cheerful,  encouraging  tone.  "  The  luck  has  run  against 
us  so  far,  but  the  cards  show  in  our  favor,  and  for  the 
first  time  I  feel  confidence  in  the  game.  Just  look  at 
the  cards :  we've  got  one,  and  we'll  get  the  other  to- 
morrow, if  we  don't  get  foolish  and  play  wildly.  Let's 
go  to  the  fire,  and  decide  what's  to  be  done.  Here, 
two  of  you  stay  by  the  tent,  and  keep  your  eyes  about 
you,  too.  The  man  is  in  the  bush  somewhere,  and  in 
earnest ;  but  I'm  in  earnest,  too,  and  John  Norton  lets 
us  alone  after  this  or  he  dies,  that's  all  there  is  about 
it,  —  if  I  have  to  kill  him  myself.  Two  of  you  stay 
here  and  shoot  at  the  first  sound  you  hear.  The  rest 
come  with  me." 

So  saying,  he  led  the  way  to  the  centre  of  the  camp, 
whither  the  others  followed,  leading  the  Yankee,  whose 
hands  were  tightly  tied  to  his  side. 

The  council  that  followed  was  long  and  earnest.  The 
half-breed  and  the  gambler  were  for  the  first  time  thor- 
oughly united  in  purpose  ;  and  the  wits  of  both  put  in 
conjunction  to  accomplish  one  thing  —  the  capture  or 
destruction  of  the  Trapper. 


156  ADIRONDACK  TALES. 

It  was  morning.  The  sun  had  risen,  but  the  fog, 
that  swathed  the  lake  and  the  lake  shore,  resisted  the  in- 
coming of  his  beams.  Not  until  the  rising  heat  had 
warmed  the  mountain  sides,  and  currents  of  air  began 
to  move,  did  the  fog  give  evidence  of  retreat.  But 
then  a  panic  seemed  to  seize  it :  the  fleecy  mass  began 
to  heave  here  and  there  and  local  agitations  to  occur. 
For  an  instant  the  fleecy  field  was  split,  and  a  lane  of 
narrow  width  ran  clean  from  shore  to  shore,  showing 
the  blue  water  and  the  distant  beach.  Then  the  great 
mass  began  to  roll.  The  sun  here  and  there  shone  for 
an  instant  through  the  rising  mass  of  vapor.  Gradually 
he  won  his  way  against  the  obstacles  that  night  had 
heaved  damply  up  in  his  path,  and  the  delivered  water 
and  the  freed  shores  greeted  his  coming  with  ripples 
and  movement  of  waving  boughs. 

There  was  a  man  crouched  back  of  a  boulder  in  the 
rear  of  the  outlaws'  camp  who,  with  eyes  that  had  never 
closed,  and  with  ears  strained  with  intense  effort  of 
hearing,  had,  through  the  hours  of  the  night,  waited 
patiently  for  the  coming  of  the  day.  That  man  was 
John  Norton,  the  Trapper. 

It  was  his  eye  that  first  saw  the  new  shade  of  color 
come  to  the  fog  that  hung  heavily  over  the  lake ;  his 
eye  noted  the  first  movement  amid  the  mist,  and 
greeted  the  light  with  bright  and  eager  anticipation. 
He  was  not  a  man  to  desert  a  comrade,  and  it  was  evi- 
dent, by  the  look  on  his  face,  that  if  any  harm  had 
come  to  the  Yankee,  some  of  the  vagabonds,  as  he 
mentally  expressed  it,  would  have  to  answer  for  it. 


THE  MYSTERY  OF  THE   WOODS.  157 

All  humor  —  and  his  face  was  capable  of  expressing 
infinite  humor  —  all  amiable  expression,  and  the  sweet 
peacefulness  that  had  become  habitual,  in  the  later 
years,  to  his  countenance,  had  departed,  and  in  their 
place  the  face  showed,  in  the  morning  light,  a  set  and 
rigid  look.  The  lines  were  taut  around  the  mouth, 
and  the  eyes  that  looked  out  from  under  the  heavy 
eyebrows,  gleamed  hard  and  cold  as  steel.  One  man 
against  seven.  One  man  under  cover  in  a  position 
that  commanded  the  whole  camp,  unless  the  occupants 
lay  close,  with  a  rifle  in  his  hand,  waiting  for  the  com- 
ing light ;  waiting  for  a  man  to  show  his  head. 

Well  did  those  in  the  camp  know  what  the  light 
would  bring,  for  the  half-breed,  in  the  council  held  in 
the  night,  had  told  the  gambler  that  when  the  sun  arose 
John  Norton  would  have  the  whole  camp  within  range 
of  his  piece,  and  that  to  show  a  head  or  even  a  hand 
would  be  dangerous.  Each  man  held  his  place,  there- 
fore, armed  and  ready  for  fight.  The  gambler,  with  a 
pistol  in  his  hand  —  the  one  he  had  used  in  his  match 
with  the  Trapper  on  the  beach  —  stood  at  the  edge  of 
the  beach  back  of  a  huge  pine,  the  others,  each  behind 
his  own  protection,  lay  crouched  or  stood,  according  to 
the  necessities  of  his  position. 

The  Yankee  was  near  the  centre  of  the  camp  in  plain 
view  to  all ;  his  body  lashed  at  the  shoulders  to  a  dead 
tamarack,  and  his  hands  tied  to  the  tree  likewise.  It 
must  be  confessed  that  he  presented  a  laughable  spec- 
tacle, thus  trussed  up  as  it  were.  His  back  was  toward 
the  lake.  Perhaps  his  enemies  had  placed  him  so,  that 


158  ADIRONDACK  TALES. 

he  might  not  see  what  was  going  on  in  the  camp.  Be 
that  as  it  may,  his  face  faced  the  woods  and  com- 
manded an  easy  view  of  John  Norton  himself,  as  he 
crouched  back  of  his  protecting  boulder.  Such  was  the 
position  of  the  several  parties  when  the  sun  broke  tri- 
umphantly through  the  fog,  which,  up  to  that  moment, 
had  made  objects  twenty  feet  distant  invisible. 

A  glance  told  the  Trapper  the  condition  of  the  camp, 
and  the  position  of  every  one  of  his  enemies.  His 
mind,  quick  to  decide,  and  full  of  expedients  gathered 
by  years  of  experience  in  similar  emergencies,  reached 
its  conclusions  in  a  moment,  and  prompted  him  to  do 
one  of  those  unexpected  and  reckless  things  which, 
done  by  any  other  man,  would  be  his  death,  but  which 
done  by  one  like  him,  must,  by  the  coolest  judgment, 
be  pronounced  the  only  way  to  success.  But  first  he 
would  learn  the  condition  of  his  captured  companion. 

"  Boy,"  he  said,  speaking  in  a  full,  steady  tone, 
easily  heard  through  the  camp ;  "  boy,"  he  said,  "  have 
the  vagabonds  tetched  a  hair  of  yer  head  ?  " 

"Not  a  hair,"  answered  Jim  Bean.  "Every  hair, 
old  man,  is  in  the  right  place,  stiff  as  ever,  darn  ef  it 
ain't ! " 

The  Yankee  had  evidently,  amid  his  tribulations, 
retained  both  the  reckless  carelessness  of  his  spirit  and 
the  rough  humor  of  his  expression. 

"  It  is  well,"  answered  the  Trapper.  "  It  is  well  that 
the  dogs  have  left  ye  untetched ;  for  ef  they  had  hurt 
a  hair  of  yer  head,  their  blood  would  have  answered 
for  it.  It  is  years  sence  I've  felt  as  I  do  this  mornin' ; 


THE  MYSTERY  OF  THE   WOODS.  159 

and  ef  the  vagabonds  want  lead,  lead  they  can  have. 
Now,  boy,  do  as  I  tell  ye,  and  a  man  who  cares  noth- 
ing for  his  life  this  mornin'  will  show  ye  a  trick  that 
ye' 11  remember  when  ye  be  gone  from  the  woods.  The 
vagabonds  be  fools  to  tie  a  man  of  yer  inches  to  a  tree 
whose  roots  the  fire  has  barnt  under." 

The  old  man  paused  a  moment ;  he  drew  his  knife, 
holding  its  handle  in  his  left  hand  so  that  it  was  little 
impeded  in  the  use  which  a  rapid  shot  would  demand 
of  it,  meditated  a  moment,  glanced  at  the  caps  and  the 
tubes  of  his  rifle,  and  then  he  said,  calling  loud  and 
clear.  — 

"  Who  be  the  spokesman  of  this  camp  ?  Ef  there  be 
a  man  ye  sneaks  can  trust  to  speak  for  ye,  let  him 
make  himself  known." 

And  then  after  a  moment's  pause,  he  repeated,  — 

"  Who  be  the  spokesman  of  this  camp  ?  " 

For  an  instant  there  was  no  reply,  and  then  the  gam- 
bler, from  his  position  behind  the  pine  some  fifty  yards 
distant,  directly  in  front  of  the  Trapper,  said,  — 

"I  make  this  deal,  old  man;  if  you  want  to  cut,  say 
so!" 

"  Ay,  ay,"  answered  the  Trapper  clearly  and  sharply, 
"  I  know  yer  voice,  and  well  it  is  that  two  feet 
of  good  pine  is  atween  ye  and  the  line  of  my  lead, 
for  ye  have  consorted  with  the  wicked  in  their  wicked- 
ness, and  the  punishment  of  the  wicked  must  rest  on 
yer  head.  It  is  well  that  ye  speak  for  the  vagabonds, 
for  ye  had  a  leetle  playfulness  with  me  one  day,  and 
ye  know  that  my  bullets  go  quick  and  go  straight. 


160  ADIRONDACK  TALES. 

And  here  I  say  that  I  know  the  position  of  every  one 
of  ye,  and  my  eye  takes  ye  all  in ;  and  ef  one  of  ye 
shows  yer  head,  or  enough  of  yer  skull  to  match  the 
width  of  a  bullet,  it  will  be  matched  with  a  bullet,  for 
I  have  something  to  do  —  so  keep  yer  heads  and  yer 
hands  out  of  sight,  or  ye  will  lose  head  or  hand.  There 
be  seven  agin  one,  but  the  two  of  the  seven  that  lift 
from  yer  covers  fust  be  dead  men.  That  will  leave 
but  five  and  the  chances." 

"  What  do  you  propose  to  do  ?  "  asked  the  gambler 
coolly,  from  behind  the  pine. 

"  This,"  answered  the  Trapper.  And  as  the  word  es- 
caped his  lips,  he  leaped  the  boulder  behind  which  he 
was  crouched,  and  landed  lightly  as  a  cat  on  his  feet  in 
full  view,  knife  in  hand,  and  rifle  at  a  poise  ready  to 
shoot. 

"  Now,"  he  yelled,  "  show  a  head,  show  a  hand,  ef  ye 
dare!" 

The  action  was  so  quick,  so  unexpected,  so  startlingly 
bold,  the  outlaws,  and  the  gambler  himself,  were  ap- 
palled. Their  dreaded  enemy  was  on  the  margin  of 
their  camp,  and  the  dreaded  rifle  had  every  position 
under  its  muzzles. 

Not  an  instant  did  the  Trapper  lose.  No  sooner  had 
he  given  the  warning,  than  he  said  to  the  Yankee,  who 
was  standing  lashed  to  the  tree,  with  his  mouth  fairly 
open  in  astonishment  at  the  Trapper's  sudden  appear- 
ance,— 

"  Boy,  bend  yerself  forrard,  and  sot  yer  strength  on 
to  the  roots  as  ef  ye  was  liftin'  a  ton." 


THE  MYSTERY  OF  THE  WOODS.  161 

The  Yankee's  mouth,  as  we  have  said,  was  open ;  it 
closed.  The  expression  which  came  to  his  face  was 
that  of  quickest  intelligence.  The  look  of  a  man  who 
understands  the  reason  of  what  he  has  been  told  to  do, 
and  is  mortified  that  he  had  not  thought  of  it  before. 
His  feelings  were  of  the  strongest  kind  beyond  doubt, 
for  the  expression  with  which  he  eased  himself  of  them 
was  the  most  earnest  in  his  vocabulary.  He  said,  — 

"I  sweowP 

And  then  bowing  himself  forward,  while  the  roots 
cracked  at  his  feet,  he  put  the  full  force  of  his  body  to 
the  effort  he  was  called  upon  to  make.  He  lifted  it 
slowly,  for  the  roots  hung,  but  liberty  was  ahead,  and 
an  uncertain  fate  behind  him.  Every  ounce  of  power 
that  was  anywhere  lying  around  in  the  entire  length 
of  his  ungainly  proportions,  he  put  into  the  effort.  The 
cords  cut  into  his  wrists  until  the  blood  started,  but, 
grit  to  the  last,  he  never  flinched.  The  last  root 
finally  yielded  to  the  strain  that  he  put  upon  it,  and 
Jim  Bean,  with  the  tree  whose  top  reached  twenty  feet 
above  his  head,  stood  ready  for  the  next  move. 

The  old  Trapper  took  a  step ;  —  one  motion  of  his 
knife,  and  the  cords  were  severed.  The  tree  fell  with 
a  crash  and  Jim  Bean  was  free. 

"  Scoot,  boy,"  said  the  Trapper ;  "use  yer  legs ; 
head  fer  the  boat  beyend  the  big  pine,  and  ef  anything 
happens,  make  for  the  Saranacs." 

"  Not  this  year,  old  man ;  ef  there  is  any  wrastlin' 
goin'  on  here  this  mornin'  Jim  Bean  is  jest  goin'  to 
sidle  into  it !  There  is  a  chap  that  kicked  me  in  the 


162  ADIRONDACK  TALES. 

ribs  last  night  jest  for  whistlin'  a  little  tune,  and  I 
want  to  get  my  paw  on  him  a  minute." 

"Boy,"  said  the  Trapper,  "ye  be  foolish.  Make  us^ 
of  yer  legs,  and  show  the  Lord  by  yer  runnin'  that  y« 
be  grateful  for  yer  deliverance ! " 

"  I  go  when  you  go,  old  man,"  said  the  Yankee;  "  wfe 
came  into  this  camp  together,  and  we  go  out  together. 
We  boss  this  town  meetin'  between  us,  and  when  you 
say  adjourn  we'll  adjourn,  and  not  be " 

The  word  was  drowned  in  the  explosion  of  the  Trap- 
per's rifle.  While  the  Yankee  had  been  talking,  the 
muzzle  of  a  duelling  pistol  had  been  pushed  slowly  from 
behind  the  pine.  The  quick  eye  of  the  Trapper  had 
caught  the  movement ;  and  before  the  muzzles  had  got- 
ten the  line  his  piece  cracked  its  report  out,  and  a 
pistol,  struck  square  in  the  muzzle  by  the  bullet,  was 
knocked  from  the  hand  that  held  it,  twenty  feet  into 
the  air,  and  fell  muzzle  foremost  into  the  sand. 

"Ye  have  got  yer  lesson,"  said  the  Trapper,  "ye 
have  got  yer  lesson,  and  it  will  help  ye  to  credit  the 
words  that  I  tell  ye.  There's  one  bullet  left,  and  ef 
there  be  one  of  ye  that  wants  to  die  in  the  next  twenty 
seconds,  let  him  lift  his  head  from  his  cover." 

So  saying,  the  old  man  backed  his  way  out  of  the 
camp,  until  he  came  to  the  cover  of  the  trees,  behind 
one  of  which  he  glided,  the  Yankee  taking  another. 

"  Here  I  be,  ye  vagabonds !  "  shouted  the  Trapper,  as 
he  drove  a  bullet  into  the  empty  barrel  with  a  single 
motion  of  the  rod.  "Here  I  be,"  he  repeated,  "one 
man  agin  seven,  and  the  trees  of  the  Lord  for  a  kiver. 


THE  MYSTERY  OF  THE    WOODS.  163 

Come  out,  and  show  yerselves,  and  prove  yerselves  to 
be  better  than  sneaks.  I  come  to  this  P'int  for  a  par- 
pose,  and  I  don't  go  from  this  P'int  till  I  find  out  ye 
devilments,  unless  the  Lord  "  — 

The  sentence  was  never  ended.  To  the  north  a  rifle 
cracked.  The  report  cut  through  the  atmosphere  like 
a  bullet.  The  old  man  flung  a  hand  into  the  air,  while 
his  face  showed  the  look  of  a  hound  who  has  suddenly 
heard  the  motions  of  his  game. 

Quick,  alert,  eager.  Had  he  been  chiselled  in  mar- 
ble, his  posture  could  not  have  been  steadier,  or  his 
pose  more  rigidly  held.  An  instant,  and  then  a  rifle 
cracked  again,  —  a  twin  report  to  the  one  that  had 
preceded  it. 

The  old  man  dashed  the  hand  that  was  still  sus- 
pended in  the  air  to  his  side,  and  with  a  voice  whose 
sound  was  between  a  sob  and  a  laugh,  exclaimed,  — - 

"  Henry  !  To  the  boat !  To  the  boat !  The  boy  and 
the  rifle  be  both  in  the  woods !  " 

And  then,  as  if  the  swiftness  of  his  youth  had  re- 
turned to  his  frame,  the  old  man,  with  his  rifle  at  a 
trail  and  his  white  hair  streaming  behind  him,  followed 
by  his  companion,  who  strove  vainly  to  match  his  ve- 
locity, tore  wildly  toward  the  boat. 

Thus,  as  we  have  described  in  a  preceding  chapter, 
Henry  and  the  detective  sat  on  the  log  on  the  bank 
overlooking  the  lake.  After  Henry  had  said,  when  the 
rifle  sounded  its  report,  "  If  John  Norton  be  on  this 
lake  alive  and  unbound,  he  will  be  here  within  an 


164  ADIRONDACK  TALES. 

hour,"  neither  had  spoken.  The  mind  of  the  one  was 
filled  with  foreboding;  the  mind  of  the  other  with 
doubt.  Their  eyes  now  surveyed  the  waters,  and  now 
ran  their  glances  around  the  shores,  and  then  were 
turned  searchingly  toward  the  limits  of  the  clearing  in 
which  the  cabin  stood. 

Thus  were  they  seated,  silently  watching.  Suddenly 
a  boat  shot  out  from  the  shore,  coming  into  view  from 
behind  a  projection  that  stretched  outward  into  the 
lake.  A  boat  with  two  men  in  it ;  one  of  them  pad- 
dling. 

"'Tis  he,"  Henry  exclaimed,  in  a  voice  that  showed 
both  his  excitement  and  the  impressive  nature  of  his 
feelings.  "  'Tis  he,  strong  and  well.  I  know  his  stroke," 
and  the  young  man  rose  to  his  feet,  walked  a  few  steps 
from  the  log  on  the  edge  of  the  bank,  and,  with  his 
back  to  his  companion,  began  to  reload  his  rifle.  The 
detective  remained  quietly  where  he  was  sitting  until 
his  companion  had  returned,  and  then  he  said,  — 

"  Mr.  Herbert,  you  seem  to  love  the  man." 

"  He  is  as  my  father,"  was  the  response. 

Nothing  more  was  said.  The  boat  drew  rapidly  on, 
and  as  it  neared  the  beach,  Henry  went  down  to  meet 
it,  his  rifle  in  his  hand  and  his  head  uncovered.  Once 
the  old  Trapper,  while  yet  some  rods  from  the  shore, 
intermitted  his  stroke,  and,  shading  his  eyes  with  one 
hand,  gazed  fixedly  at  the  figure  on  the  beach. 

"  The  boy  looks  thin,"  he  said,  and  then  he  resumed 
his  stroke.  In  a  moment  the  boat  touched  the  beach, 
and  the  Trapper,  with  his  rifle  in  his  hand,  stepped 


THE  MYSTERY  OF  THE  WOODS.  165 

ashore,  and  the  young  man  and  the  old  one  stood  face 
to  face. 

For  a  moment  they  looked  at  each  other  with  the 
look  with  which  love  notes  the  changes  that  distance 
and  time  have  wrought  since  its  parting,  and  then  the 
old  man  extended  his  hand,  and  as  the  younger  took  it 
in  his  own,  he  said,  — 

"  It  be  pleasant  to  look  upon  yer  face  on  the  'arth 
ag'in,  Henry.  I  trust  the  Lord  has  been  good  to  ye 
sence  we  parted." 

"  I  have  had  my  ups  and  downs  as  all  have  in  life, 
John  Norton,  but  in  the  main  I  have  been  successful." 

"  Have  yer  friends  been  true  to  ye,  boy  ?  " 

"  Some  have  and  some  haven't,"  was  the  answer. 

"  Tis  the  way  of  the  world,  Henry,  and  ye  mustn't 
grieve,  fer  some  be  weak  and  some  be  wicked,  and 
atween  the  two  the  party  thins  out  as  the  trail  grows 
long.  There  be  few  that  live  out  the  trail  and  come 
with  us  to  the  edge  of  the  Great  Clearin'." 

The  young  man  made  no  reply,  but  the  look  that  he 
gave  his  aged  companion  was  both  reverent  and  affec- 
tionate. After  a  moment  the  old  man  said,  — 

"  The  grave  by  the  sea,  under  the  pine,  Henry ;  is 
the  mound  well  kept,  and  is  the  man  we  paid  to  keep 
it,  faithful  to  his  word?" 

"  I  saw  it  last  week,"  answered  the  young  man,  "the 
roses  were  in  blossom,  and  the  man  had  trimmed  the 
grass  properly." 

"  'Tis  well,"  answered  the  Trapper,  "  the  lad  had  a 
great  likin'  for  flowers,  and  yer  idee  of  plantin'  the 
leetle  tree  by  the  head  of  the  grave  was  a  good  un. 


166  ADIRONDACK  TALES. 

The  livin'  be  often  ongrateful,  but  what  we  do  for  the 
dead  is  never  forgotten." 

Again  there  was  a  pause.  "  Have  ye  ben  into  the 
cabin,  Henry  ?  "  asked  the  Trapper. 

"  I  have,"  was  the  answer. 

"Did  the  pups  know  ye  as  ye  come  up  the  river,  boy  ?" 

"  I  found  them  by  the  foot  of  the  pine,"  answered 
Herbert. 

"  I  conceited  it ;  yis,  I  sartinly  conceited  it,  when  I 
took  them  to  the  spot,"  said  the  Trapper,  "for  their 
noses  be  good,  and  I  said  to  myself,  The  pups  will  scent 
the  boy  ef  he  comes  up  the  river.  What  did  their  bein* 
there  tell  ye,  boy  ?  " 

"  I  reasoned  that  you  was  in  danger,  John  Norton." 

"  Who  did  ye  think  would  distarb  me  in  my  years?" 
questioned  the  Trapper. 

"I  thought  of  the  half-breed  you  met  in  the  fur 
country,  some  years  ago,"  was  the  response. 

"Ye  reasoned  rightly,  boy,"  answered  the  Trapper, 
"and  it  be  greater  credit  to  ye  than  all  yer  book 
larnin',  that  ye  kin  read  signs  so  as  to  make  sense  out 
of  them.  Yis,  yer  reasonin'  was  right.  The  half-breed 
has  come  from  the  North,  and  a  gang  of  vagabonds 
with  him,  and  they  have  been  in  my  cabin,  and  I  have 
been  in  their  camp.  Who  is  the  man  on  the  log,  boy?" 

"  We  will  go  up  the  bank,  and  he  shall  tell  you  for 
himself.  He  was  looking  for  you  when  I  found  him 
here  this  morning,"  was  the  answer.  And  the  two 
men,  followed  by  the  Yankee,  mounted  the  bank,  and 
approached  the  detective. 


THE  MYSTERY  OF  THE   WOODS.  167 


CHAPTER  XII. 

As  they  drew  near,  the  detective  arose,  and  with  a 
graceful  motion  lifted  his  cap  from  his  head.  The  old 
Trapper  lifted  his  own  broad  palm  to  his  whitened 
locks  in  a  manner  which  suggested  his  earlier  military 
service. 

"  This  is  Mr.  Carson,"  Herbert  said,  speaking  to  the 
Trapper,  and  then  he  added,  "  Mr.  Carson,  this  is  John 
Norton." 

For  a  moment  the  two  men  stood  looking  at  each 
other ;  the  younger  with  a  look  of  pleasure  and  admi- 
ration on  his  face,  that  he  made  no  effort  to  conceal ; 
the  elder  with  calm,  observant  eyes,  which  seemed 
without  special  effort  to  take  in  the  whole  man. 

"  I  am  glad  to  see  you,  John  Norton,"  said  the  detec- 
tive ;  "  I  have  heard  of  you  since  I  was  a  boy." 

"It  may  be;  yis,  it  may  be,"  answered  the  Trapper. 
"  Many  people  have  heerd  of  me  in  the  last  sixty  year, 
and  many  be  the  people  I  have  knowed ;  and  so  I  dare 
say  ye  have  heerd  of  me." 

"  I  was  looking  for  you,"  continued  the  other,  "when 
I  fortunately  ran  across  Mr.  Herbert  here.  I've  a  job 
on  hand,  and  I  want  your  help  in  the  name  of  the  law." 

"  I've  mighty  poor  idees  of  the  law,"  answered  the 
Trapper, "  for  I  never  knowed  a  vagabond  that  couldn't 
use  it  to  kiver  him  in  his  devilments,  or  a  poor  hunter 


168  ADIRONDACK  TALES. 

git  his  rights  in  the  courts  of  the  settlements.  I've 
found  a  leetle  lead  jediciously  spent  a  better  protection 
to  a  man's  pelts  than  lawin',  —  but  what  be  yer  busi- 
ness, young  man?"  asked  the  Trapper,  while  his 
eyes  continued  to  dwell  calmly  but  searchingly  on  the 
other's  face. 

"  I  am  a  detective,"  responded  the  other. 

The  old  man  remained  silent  a  moment,  as  if  weigh- 
ing the  other's  words,  and  then  he  said,  — 

"  I  don't  understand  ye." 

"My  business,  John  Norton,"  answered  the  other, 
"  is  to  find  out  and  help  punish  rogues ;  and  in  the 
cities  they  call  a  man  who  does  that  a  detective." 

"  The  business  is  a  good  un  ef  it  be  well  follered," 
replied  the  Trapper.  "I've  did  a  good  deal  of  that 
sort  of  work  myself  while  I've  ben  on  the  'arth.  Do  ye 
do  yer  scoutin'  in  the  woods  or  the  settlements,  young 
man?" 

"Altogether  in  the  cities,"  was  the  reply.  "There's 
where  we  find  the  rogues,  John  Norton.'* 

"  The  knaves  be  found  everywhere,"  answered  the 
Trapper ;  "  the  cabins  be  thicker  in  the  settlements  than 
in  the  woods,  and  where  the  cabins  be  too  thick  the 
camp  is  apt  to  quarrel,  as  I  have  noted;  but  ef  yer 
business  be  to  find  the  rogues  in  the  settlements,  for 
what  cause  have  ye  pushed  yer  trail  into  the  woods 
until  ye  stand  twice  a  hundred  mile,  as  a  goose  flies, 
from  the  ploughed  fields  of  the  settlers  ?  " 

"I  followed  a  gang  of  outlaws  from  Quebec,"  was 
the  reply.  "I  chased  them  three  hundred  miles,  until 


THE  MYSTERY  OF  THE   WOODS.  169 

they  buried  themselves  in  the  woods,  and  then,  deter- 
mined not  to  be  balked  of  the  game,  I  bought  a  boat, 
and  followed  their  course  the  best  I  could  until  I  lost 
them  altogether  at  the  Three  Ponds  this  side  of  Indian 
Carry." 

"  Yer  eye  is  a  good  un,  young  man,"  answered  the 
Trapper,  upon  whose  mind  the  direct  speech  and  the 
cool  earnestness  of  the  detective  were  making  a  favor- 
able impression,  "  ye  hung  to  the  knaves  as  a  dog  of 
good  breedin'  hangs  to  a  scent ;  but  how  came  ye  to 
come  furder  than  the  Three  Ponds ;  ye  said  ye  lost  the 
trail  there?" 

"  I  met  a  man  on  the  carry,"  answered  the  detective. 
"I  told  him  my  errand." 

"  What  sort  of  a  man  was  he  ?  "  asked  the  other. 

"  He  was  drunk,"  was  the  sententious  reply. 

"That  settles  it,"  replied  the  Trapper;  "yis,  that 
sartinly  settles  it.  'Twas  Wild  Bill.  It's  a  shame  that 
a  man  with  his  gifts  will  give  his  wits  to  the  care  of  a 
bottle ;  for  when  he  be  sober,  his  eye  is  a  good  un,  and 
I  have  seed  him  shoot  in  a  way  that  oughter  count  a 
good  deal  agin  his  habits  when  the  Lord  balances  his 
account  in  the  jedgment.  What  did  Wild  Bill  say  to 
ye?" 

"  He  told  me  if  I  wanted  to  find  the  rogues  I  must 
find  you  first,"  responded  the  other. 

"  The  man  couldn't  have  been  mor'n  half  drunk," 
answered  the  Trapper,  "  for  his  advice  was  jedicious. 
And  so  ye  follered  on,  did  ye  ?  " 

"Yes,  I  followed  on,"  replied  the  detective,  "and  I 


170  ADIRONDACK  TALES. 

struck  your  camp  this  morning.  I  ran  upon  your  cabin 
here,  and  I  opened  the  door,  and  I  found  "  — 

"What  did  ye  find?"  asked  the  Trapper,  interrupting 
him. 

"I  found  the  muzzles  of  a  double  rifle,  and  a  steady 
face  back  of  it,"  answered  the  other,  laughing,  as  he 
looked  at  Herbert. 

"I  thought  as  much,"  replied  the  old  man,  and  he 
laughed  in  his  silent  but  hearty  fashion.  "Ye  be  never 
quite  sartin  what  ye' 11  find  behind  a  door  when  ye  open 
it  suddenly.  But  who  be  the  rogues  ye  be  follerin'  ?  " 

"There  are  seven  in  all,"  answered  the  detective: 
"  a  half-breed  and  four  cut-throats,  a  gentlemanly  rascal 
who  is  leader,  and  a  creature  they  call  the  giant." 

"The  vagabonds  be  on  the  P'int  yender,"  answered 
the  Trapper,  and  he  motioned  with  his  hand  to  the  south. 

"God  be  praised!"  shouted  the  other,  and  his  face, 
ordinarily  pale,  flushed  in  his  excitement.  "John 
Norton,  do  you  know  what  the  rascals  have  with 
them?" 

"They  have  a  big  tent,  for  one  thing,"  was  the  cool 
reply. 

"  In  the  tent !  —  in  the  tent !  What  is  there  in  the 
tent  ?  Do  you  know  that  ?"  queried  the  other,  excitedly. 

"I  don't  know  for  sartin,  Mr.  Carson,"  replied  the 
old  man,  "though  my  knife  has  ben  in  the  canvas, 
and  hadn't  the  boy  yender  ben  foolish,"  and  he  pointed 
to  the  Yankee  who  was  standing  just  back  of  him. 
whittling  a  stick,  and  who  now,  from  excited  curiosity, 
drew  nigher,  so  he  might  not  lose  a  word  that  was  said, 


THE  MYSTERY  OF  THE   WOODS.  171 

"ef  it  hadn't  ben  for  the  boy's  foolishness,  in 
another  minit  I'd  have  knowed  what  the  big  tent 
had  in  it." 

"  So  you  want  to  know  what  is  in  the  tent,  John 
Norton?"  reiterated  the  detective. 

"Sartin,  sartin,"  answered  the  Trapper.  "I  know 
the  vagabonds  have  something  in  the  tent  they  oughtn't 
to  have ;  and  I  know  it's  a  human  being ;  for  my  ear 
has  been  at  the  canvas,  and  I've  heerd  the  motions 
within,  and  they  be  the  motions  of  a  man  and  not  of  a 
beast.  And  by  the  sounds  of  the  motion,  I  think  the 
man  be  a  woman." 

"  You  have  hit  the  nail  on  the  head,  John  Norton," 
responded  the  detective ;  "  the  gang  at  the  Point  are 
kidnappers.  There's  a  woman  in  the  tent,  and  that's 
her  picture ; "  and  the  detective  drew  a  case  from  the 
pocket  of  his  coat,  opened  it,  and  with  a  quick  motion 
thrust  it  out  toward  the  Trapper  and  Herbert. 

Herbert  and  the  Trapper  gazed  at  the  pictured  face 
before  them  without  a  word,  and  the  picture  they 
gazed  at  was  this : 

The  picture  of  a  room,  large  and  high ;  on  the  walls 
were  paintings.  In  two  of  the  corners  marble  statuary 
gleamed  white  between  half-drawn  curtains.  The  floor 
was  richly  carpeted.  A  costly  rug  with  the  picture  of 
a  knight  in  full  armor  woven  into  it  with  bright  colors. 
In  the  centre  of  the  room  a  table.  On  it  a  few  books. 
By  the  table  stood  a  girl,  at  that  age  when  the  girl  is 
almost  rounded  out  into  a  woman.  She  was  tall  in 
stature  and  stood  erect.  Her  head  slightly  lifted.  Her 


172  ADIRONDACK  TALES. 

hair  of  light  brown,  unconfined,  fell  to  her  waist.  Eyes 
large,  above  which  were  strongly  marked  brows.  The 
forehead  low  and  white.  Her  hair  above  rippled  on 
the  white  line  of  it.  The  mouth,  some  would  say, 
over  large.  Her  nose  abundant.  The  cheeks  not  yet 
rounded  full.  A  large-sized,  tender,  clean-cut,  womanly 
face.  A  face  to  pray  to,  if  you  were  a  devotee.  A  face 
to  die  for,  if  you  were  heroic.  The  eyes  in  the  picture 
were  both  a  splendor  and  a  disappointment.  They 
were  all  they  should  be,  or  all  they  could  be ;  but  in 
them  was  something — was  it  too  deep  a  shade?  Was 
it  too  bright  a  gleam  ?  Had  the  artist,  in  touching  up 
the  portrait,  made  a  mistake,  and  marred  nature  ?  No 
matter  from  what  cause,  there  was  a  look  in  the  eyes 
that  oughtn't  to  be  there  in  one  so  young  —  an  over 
intent  look,  as  if  she  was  unduly  alert,  or  too  tense 
from  uncontrollable  nervousness. 

"  The  face  is  a  good  un,"  said  the  Trapper,  as  he 
studied  it,  "  the  Lord  has  gin  her  much,  but  he  has 
kept  back  somethin',  for  the  eyes  be  not  right.  I  have 
seen  the  same  look  in  the  eyes  of  a  hound,  when  he 
heerd  the  sharp  voice  of  his  master,  and  couldn't  git 
the  line  of  his  call.  And  there's  a  line  round  the  mouth 
that  oughtn't  to  be  there,  in  one  of  her  years ;  for  she 
be  young,  and  the  young  oughter  chatter  like  the  little 
wren  under  the  eaves  of  the  cabin." 

"John  Norton!"  exclaimed  the  detective  excitedly, 
"  I  thought  my  eyes  were  trained  to  note  things  closely, 
but  you  have  seen  what  I  didn't  see.  And  I'll  tell 
them  at  the  office,  when  I  get  back,  that  a  trapper  in 


THE  MYSTERY  OF  THE  WOODS.  173 

the  woods  saw  at  a  glance  what  the  whole  corps  studied 
over  for  days  without  finding  the  clew." 

"  Very  like,  very  like,"  said  the  Trapper  carelessly. 
"  I  have  lived  in  the  woods  nigh  on  to  seventy  year, ' 
and  many  be  the  times  that  my  eyes  saved  my  scalp, 
and  leetle  be  the  sarvice  that  the  eye  does  a  man 
whether  it  be  in  the  woods  or  the  cities,  onless  it  tells 
him  the  meanin'  of  things.     What's  the  matter  with 
the  girl,  Mr.  Carson  ?  " 

"  She  is  partially  Hind  I "  exclaimed  the  other. 

"  The  ways  of  the  Lord  be  past  findin'  out,"  said  the 
Trapper  reverently,  "  and  his  jedgments  in  the  main 
be  beyend  doubt  correct ;  but  arter  my  way  of  thinkin' 
—  and  I  ax  his  pardin  ef  the  thought  be  evil  of  me  — 
arter  my  way  of  thinkin',  he  give  the  girl  too  much, 
onless  he  parposed  to  give  her  more ;  for  the  form  of 
her  featurs  be  parfect,  and  the  gifts  of  her  senses  should 
not  have  ben  wantin'.  Henry,  did  ye  ever  see  a  hand- 
somer face  ?  I  have  seed  many  women  in  gladness  and 
grief  both ;  but  I've  never  seed  a  woman  whose  glad- 
ness or  whose  grief  tetched  my  feelin's  deeper.  Ef  the 
vagabonds  hurt  a  hair  of  her  innercent  head,  they  die 
without  marcy ! " 

"  She  is,  indeed,  beautiful,"  answered  Henry,  "  and 
it  may  be  the  very  loss  she  endures  has  contributed  to 
make  her  more  beautiful ;  for  with  all  the  strength  and 
brilliancy  that  her  countenance  shows,  there  is  the 
suggestion  of  a  sweeter  and  tenderer  sort,  —  a  look  of 
forming  patience  on  her  face,  as  one  who,  knowing  her 
deprivation,  has  at  last  disciplined  her  soul  to  bear  it." 


174  ADIRONDACK  TALES. 

"Be  seated,  gentlemen,"  said  the  detective.  "I  will 
tell  you  the  story  of  the  Girl  in  the  Tent." 

They  did  as  requested,  and  for  half  an  hour  the 
detective  had  the  three  for  his  auditors. 

The  detective  finished  his  narration.  He  looked  into 
the  eager  and  flushed  faces  of  his  companions  and  said, 
as  he  closed  the  story, — 

"  What  do  you  think  of  that,  gentlemen  ?  " 

"Her  uncle  is  a  vagabond  !  "  exclaimed  the  Trapper. 
"  I'd  give  a  pack  of  my  best  pelts  ef  he  was  on  the 
P'int,  and  I  lay  within  range,  and  could  line  the  sights 
on  him.  I  hope  I  shall  be  ready,  Henry,  when  the 
time  comes  to  go,"  said  the  old  man,  turning  to  Her- 
bert ;  "  but  I'm  afeerd  that  there  won't  be  one  left  to 
sarve  the  Lord  with  any  arnestness  in  the  direction  of 
my  gifts,  when  I've  emptied  the  horn  and  come  to  the 
last  bullet  in  the  pouch.  Lord,  how  I've  peppered  the 
vagabonds,  off  and  on,  sence  I  sighted  on  the  first 
scamp  I  run  agin,  sixty  year  agone,  on  the  yender  side 
of  the  Horicon !  " 

"Do  you  think,"  asked  the  detective,  "  that  any  harm 
has  come  to  the  girl  ?  " 

"  I  conceit  not,"  answered  the  Trapper.  "  The  black- 
amoor guards  the  door  of  the  tent,  and  he  owns  no 
master  but  the  gambler ;  and,  though  the  young  man's 
in  bad  company,  and  will  probably  go  to  the  devil 
himself,  yit  he  has  a  good  deal  of  good  stuff  in  him. 
Ye  should  have  seed  him  shoot  with  his  leetle  pistol, 
Henry !  Ye  see  we  had  a  leetle  match  right  on  the 


THE  MYSTERY  OF  THE   WOODS.  175 

beach  here  one  mornin',  and  we  shot  agin  each  other, 
and  he  actually  made  me  a  leetle  careful  of  how  I  held 
the  piece.  Ye  see  he's  in  the  scrape,  as  I  git  at  it,  to 
help  a  friend,  and  while  he  is  detarmined  to  carry  his 
p'int  —  yis,  he  actually  tried  to  shoot  me  in  the  camp 
this  mornin' — yit  I  am  sartin  that  he  would  see  no 
hurt  come  to  the  girl.  But,  of  course,  the  quicker  she 
be  out  of  the  tent,  and  in  a  good,  honest  cabin  with 
honest  folks,  the  better  it  will  be." 

"  Will  you  please  tell  me,  John  Norton,  all  that  has 
occurred?"  asked  the  detective.  "You  have  had  some 
fighting ;  that  I  know ;  but  how  the  outlaws  are  placed, 
and  what's  the  best  plan  to  adopt,  I  don't  know.  Will 
you,  therefore,  please  tell  me  all  that  has  happened, 
and  give  me  your  advice  ?  " 

The  Trapper  consented,  and  narrated  in  brief  all  that 
had  occurred,  dwelling  with  a  special  fulness  upon  his 
fight  in  the  cabin,  and  the  bravery  of  the  Yankee. 
Indeed,  he  pronounced  a  eulogy  on  Jim  Bean  of  a 
character  to  place  him  high  in  the  esteem  of  his  com- 
panions,—  passing  over  as  lightly  as  he  could  the 
whistling  exercise,  by  which  his  well-laid  and  boldly 
executed  plan  of  discovering  who  was  in  the  tent  had 
been  made  a  failure.  The  result  of  the  narration  was, 
that  the  detective  and  the  Yankee  were  especially  de- 
lighted, —  the  one,  that  instead  of  two  he  could  count 
on  three  brave  assistants  in  the  forthcoming  struggle ; 
and  the  other,  that  his  bravery  was  so  handsomely  ac- 
knowledged, and  his  foolishness  was  so  easily  smoothed 
over. 


176  ADIRONDACK  TALES. 

"  And  now,  gentlemen,"  said  the  detective,  "  since  I 
know  the  true  condition  of  things,  the  question  arises, 
—  and  it  is  well  that  I  should  ask  it  at  this  point, — 
Will  you  help  me  deliver  the  girl  ?  " 

"  Sartin,"  answered  the  Trapper,  "  and  mighty  short 
work  we'll  make  of  it,  too,  ef  wust  comes  to  wust, 
though  I  hope  it  may  be  did  without  overmuch  sheddin' 
of  blood ;  but  the  half-breed  and  his  gang  be  bent  on 
murderin'  me,  and  when  it  comes  to  sech  a  p'int,  and 
the  scrimmage  be  j'ined,  it  won't  do  to  throw  away  yer 
lead." 

"  What  do  you  think  is  the  best  plan,  John  Norton?" 
asked  Herbert. 

"  I  don't  conceit  that  the  vagabonds  will  leave  the 
plannin'  to  me,  for  I've  sorter  got  the  better  of  'em 
sence  they  come  into  the  lake,  and  they're  pritty  bitter 
in  their  feelin's.  Yis,  I've  poked  'em  up  pritty  sharp, 
and  the  probabilities  is,  that  they  be  madder  than 
hornets  when  you've  kicked  agin  their  nest.  I  sar- 
tinly  conceit  that  the  vagabonds  will  save  us  the 
trouble  of  visitin'  'em,  for  their  blood  be  up,  and  when 
wrath  comes  in,  wisdom  goes  out.  I  shouldn't  be  sur- 
prised ef  ye  heerd  the  crack  of  their  pieces"  — 

The  old  man  never  finished  the  sentence,  for  a  vio- 
lent push  from  Herbert  sent  both  the  detective  and  the 
Trapper  to  the  ground,  the  young  man  himself  follow- 
ing at  the  same  instant. 

The  movement  of  Henry,  sudden  and  violent  as  it 
was,  was  of  that  character  which,  though  opposed  to  all 
rules  of  etiquette,  needed  no  apology,  as  it  doubtless 


THE  MYSTERY  OF  THE  WOODS.  177 

saved  their  lives.  For  as  the  two  men  rolled  upon  the 
ground,  two  rifles  cracked  simultaneously,  fired  from 
either  corner  of  the  Trapper's  cabin,  not  fifteen  rods 
away. 

Herbert,  while  listening  to  the  Trapper,  had,  by  merest 
accident,  chanced  to  turn  his  eyes  in  the  direction  of 
the  cabin,  and  saw  the  deadly  barrels  projecting  from 
the  angles  of  the  logs.  Rightly  divining  that  the  first 
objects  of  their  murderous  design  would  be  the  detec- 
tive, whom  they  hoped  to  escape,  and  the  Trapper, 
whom  they  hated,  he  had,  regardless  of  his  own 
safety,  pushed  them  violently  from  their  seats  to  the 
ground.  The  old  Trapper  escaped  unscarred ;  but  the 
detective,  as  he  fell,  was  aware,  by  the  tingling  sensa- 
tion, that  a  bullet  had  cut  through  the  flesh  of  the  arm 
below  the  shoulder. 

The  moment  he  had  pushed  his  companions  from  the 
log,  Herbert  himself  dropped  to  the  ground,  and  shout- 
ing to  the  Yankee  to  dive  down  the  bank,  had  rolled 
himself  back  of  a  rock  several  yards  away,  and  which 
gave  him  ample  protection.  The  Yankee  needed  no 
second  warning,  for  the  experience  he  had  already  had, 
since  he  broke  into  the  Trapper's  cabin  on  the  night  of 
the  fight,  had  sharpened  his  wits  to  the  true  nature  of 
an  emergency,  and,  therefore,  when  Herbert  called, 
even  as  the  pieces  cracked,  with  a  single  jump  he 
cleared  the  brow  of  the  bank,  and  landed  on  the  beach 
twenty  feet  below. 

The  old  Trapper,  with  a  quickness  which  gave  evi- 
dence of  his  agility,  had  done  precisely  what  Herbert 


178  A  DTR ONDA  CK  TA LES. 

had,  and  now,  crouched  behind  a  rock,  was  ready  for 
action. 

The  detective,  with  equal  wit,  feeling  himself  amply 
covered,  lay  closely  up  under  the  huge  log  on  which  he 
had  been  sitting,  his  revolver  in  hand,  and  his  face 
white  with  pain,  but  calm  with  the  calmness  of  coolest 
courage. 

"  Henry,"  said  the  Trapper,  "  ye  have  did  me  many 
a  sarvice,  but  never  a  better  than  ye  did  me  jest  now. 
'Twas  jediciously  did,  boy,  and  I  will  remember  it  to 
yer  credit,  and  I  dare  say  Mr.  Carson,  though  the 
lead  got  into  him  a  leetle,  won't  forgit  ye ;  for  a  mortal 
is  apt  to  remember  a  man  that  saves  his  life.  Yis, 
Henry,  yis,  I  see  the  vagabonds,  and  the  Blackamoor  be 
down  by  the  beech  stump  to  the  left  of  the  spring.  I 
doubt  ef  they  make  a  rush,  for  they  know  that  the  fust 
one  that  onkivers  his  ambushment  will  die.  There's  a 
speck  of  red  flannel  that  shows  itself  on  the  north  side 
of  the  beech-tree  yender.  A  leetle  practice  won't  hurt 
ye  any,  and  ef  yer  bullet  gits  into  it,  leaving  half  of  its 
width  on  the  bark  as  it  passes,  it  will  larn  the  vaga- 
bond to  lie  closer. 

"Ye  did  well,"  continued  the  Trapper,  for  Herbert's 
rifle  had  cracked  while  he  was  speaking.  "  Ye  did  well, 
for  ye  started  the  bark  handsomely,  and  don't  ye  fear 
of  gittin'  yer  bullets  into  the  bodies  of  the  vagabonds, 
for  the  law's  on  our  side,  and  the  right,  too,  which 
isn't  always  the  case,  as  I  conceit ;  but,  when  they  do 
git  together,  a  man  who  knows  how  to  shoot  shouldn't 
waste  his  powder.  Come,  Mr.  Carson,  what  say  ye  ? 


THE  MYSTERY  OF  THE  WOODS.        179 

I  see  ye  have  yer  pistol  ready,  and  there's  six  holes  in 
the  end  of  it.  Shall  we  make  a  rush  at  the  knaves  ? 
I  think  the  vagabonds  will  show  us  their  backs  when 
they  hear  the  number  of  our  pieces,  and  two  or  three 
of  them  git  a  tech  of  our  lead." 

"  Yes,  John  Norton,"  answered  the  detective,  and  he 
half  gathered  himself  for  a  spring  from  behind  the  log; 
"let's  charge  on  the  rascals.  You'll  find  me  in  front 
when  you  give  the  word." 

"  Take  it  cool,  Mr.  Carson,  take  it  cool,"  answered 
the  Trapper ;  "  when  ye  move  up  into  an  ambushment, 
never  move  but  a  few  steps  at  a  time,  and  be  sure  to 
keep  yerself  well  kivered.  James,"  he  called  to  the 
Yankee  under  the  bank,  "  the  vagabonds  that  trussed 
ye  up  to  the  tree  be  in  front  of  us,  and  we  are  goin'  to 
move  up  a  leetle  nigher.  I  see  the  Blackamoor  back 
of  a  stump  where  the  bank  runs  through  the  beach 
into  the  lake ;  and  I  doubt  ef  he  has  any  weeipon  but 
his  fist.  Do  ye  feel  like  havin'  a  set-to  with  the  man 
that  tossed  ye  inter  the  air  a  leetle  roughly  this 
mornin'  ?  " 

"  Deu  I,  old  man  ?  "  answered  the  Yankee  from  be- 
neath the  bank,  "  jest  let  me  git  my  eyes  on  the  nig- 
ger. Yis,  yeou  let  me  git  a  square  hold  on  him,  and 
then  yeou  fellers  jest  set  deown  on  the  logs,  and  ef  ye 
don't  see  the  darndest  up-and-deown  wrastlin'  match 
yeou  ever  set  yeour  eyes  on,  my  name  ain't  Jim  Bean. 
Where  is  he,  old  man  ?  " 

"  Right  ahead  of  ye.     It  will  take  two  moves  to  get 


180  ADIRONDACK  TALES. 

at  him :  go  to  the  ledge  fust,  when  I  give  the  word. 
Mr.  Carson,  jump  for  the  dead  pine  in  front  of  ye. 
Henry,  dash  inter  the  hazel-bush  to  the  right.  Ready ! 
Keep  under  kiver,  boy ;  keep  under  kiver,"  continued 
the  old  man  to  Herbert.  "  Now  "  — 


THE  MYSTERY  OF  THE    WOODS.  181 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

AT  the  word,  the  four  men  with  simultaneous  move- 
ment made  their  rush  forward.  It  was  done  so  quickly 
that  their  enemies  had  not  time  to  get  in  even  a  shot. 

"Hold  as  ye  be !  "  shouted  the  Trapper  to  his  com- 
panions ;  "  hold  as  ye  be,  and  lie  close !  The  rush  was 
a  good  un.  Ef  that  half-breed  shows  the  butt  of  his 
elbow  ag'in  like  that,"  muttered  the  Trapper,  interrupt- 
ing his  address  to  his  companions,  "  he'll  wear  splinters 
for  a  month.  The  rush  was  a  good  un,"  repeated  he. 
"Ye  jumped  at  the  word,  and  they  never  got  in  a  shot. 
Lord  !  Henry,  ye  went  into  the  leetle  hazel-bushes  as  a 
rabbit  goes  into  the  thicket  when  it  sees  the  shadow  of 
a  hawk  on  the  grass,  and  the  rush  of  his  wings  be  in 
his  ears.  Move  as  fur  as  ye  can  to  the  right,  boy,  and 
see  ef  ye  can't  take  'em  in  the  flank.  The  crack  of  a 
piece  from  the  big  beech  on  the  knoll  would  start  'em 
like  ducks  out  of  the  sedge,  when  the  shot  splash  around 
'em.  Yis,  boy,  practise  the  gifts  of  yer  crawlin',  and 
git  on  the  flank  of  the  rogues.  Then  pick  the  man 
that  suits  ye  least,  and  gin  it  to  him.  I  don't  tell  ye  to 
kill  him ;  but  let  the  lead  git  into  him  reasonably  deep 
that  he  may  larn  the  opinion  the  Lord  has  of  his  devil- 
ments. Don't  tech  the  half-breed,  boy :  he's  been  on 
my  trail  fur  this  seven  year,  and  atween  stealin'  my 
furs  and  my  traps,  and  burnin'  two  shanties  that  I'm 


182  ADIRONDACK  TALES. 

sartin  of,  and  ambushin'  ine  four  times  for  my  death, 
and  a  dozen  shots  more  or  less  he's  fired  at  me  off  and 
on,  there's  a  good  many  figurs  on  the  slate,  and  I  con- 
ceit the  time  has  come  to  wipe  'em  out. 

"The  Lord  knows,"  continued  the  old  man,  "that 
I've  been  considerate  in  the  matter  considerin'  my  gifts, 
or  he'd  have  died  long  ago ;  but  I  held  back  because  of 
the  lad,  and  because  of  his  readin'  in  the  Book  which 
said  '  Vengeance  is  mine,  I  will  repay,  saith  the  Lord ' 
—  and  I  conceited  that  perhaps  the  Lord  would  attend 
to  the  vagabond  himself.  But  the  lad  mistook  the 
meanin'  of  the  varses,  or  the  Lord  himself  be  a  leetle 
slow,  for  he  has  sartinly  kept  on  with  his  deviltry, 
and  there's  but  one  thing  that  will  stop  him. 

"Mr.  Carson,"  said  the  old  man,  speaking  to  his 
companion  on  the  left, "  the  boy  is  crawlin',  and  is  doin' 
it  well,  for  he's  kivered  his  back  with  moss,  and  a  big 
tuft  of  the  'arth  he  has  fitted  to  his  head,  and  he  looks 
flatter  than  a  rived  shingle.  Yis,  he  be  doin'  it  well, 
for  he  be  movin'  inch  by  inch ;  and  though  he  be  in 
range  of  their  bullets,  yit,  he's  crawlin'  as  slow  as  a  snail. 
But  it  be  jest  as  well  that  the  vagabonds  shouldn't  look 
that  way  too  much,  —  so,  ef  ye  can  see  a  bit  of  flannel 
or  the  muzzle  of  a  gun,  crack  away  at  it,  for  yer  pistol 
loads  easy,  and  the  law  pays  for  yer  ammunition.  Yis, 
fire  away,  Mr.  Carson,  and  keep  their  eyes  this  way,  for 
ef  the  boy  reaches  the  big  beech  on  the  knoll,  he'll 
sweep  the  line  and  put  'em  up  like  quail  from  a 
thicket.  For  two  barrels  of  the  right  sort,  with  a 
steady  man  back  of  'em,  can  onkiver  the  best  ambush- 


THE  MYSTERY  OF  THE  WOODS.  183 

ment  ever  made ;  and,  ef  the  boy  gits  to  the  beech 
unhurt,  ye'll  see  the  rogues  racing  through  the  swale, 
like  the  beasts  over  the  plains  when  the  fire  and  wind 
be  behind  'em." 

Even  before  he  was  done  speaking  the  detective  had 
twice  found  a  target,  and  twice  had  his  bullets  gone 
straight  to  the  mark.  The  Trapper  had  scarcely  done 
speaking  before  his  rifle  too  cracked,  and  the  sharp  cry 
that  came  from  the  opposing  line  showed  that  the 
bullet  had  at  least  touched  the  flesh. 

"  The  knave  is  a  fool,"  muttered  the  Trapper,  as  he 
poured  the  powder  into  the  barrel,  "to  let  his  hand 
show  its  width  beyend  the  bark  when  he  be  loadin'  his 
piece  in  an  ambushment.  He's  two  fingers  less  than 
he  had  this  mornin',  for  sartin,  and  that's  a  comfort. 
Ay,  ay,  I  see,  Mr.  Carson,  the  boy's  got  to  kiver,  and 
ye'll  hear  his  piece  in  a  minit.  Boy,"  shouted  the 
Trapper  to  the  Yankee  under  the  bank, "  we'll  have  'em 
in  motion  in  a  minit,  and  when  knaves  git  to  runnin' 
they  never  stop,  onless  ye  stop  'em ;  so  make  yerself 
sure  of  the  Blackamoor,  ef  ye  want  yer  fun.  Mr.  Car- 
son," said  the  Trapper,  speaking  to  the  detective,  as  he 
gathered  himself  for  the  rush  that  he  felt  would  be 
occasioned  by  the  explosion  of  Henry's  piece,  "ye  say 
the  law's  on  our  side,  and  ef  they  aint  shot  here  they'll 
be  hung  in  Canada,  so  it  doesn't  matter  much  what 
happens  to  the  vagabonds ;  and  I  shan't  be  over-keer- 
ful  when  I  draw  on  'em  in  the  rush.  But  there  be  a 
young  man  among  'em  that  oughtn't  to  be  there.  He 
has  his  sins  beyend  doubt,  but  he  be  in  this  devilment 


184  ADIRONDACK  TALES. 

by  chance.  His  name  is  Dick  Raymond,  and  his  busi- 
ness be  gambling ;  but  I've  heerd  his  voice,  and  seed 
his  face,  and  felt  his  hand,  and  that's  why  I  tell  ye  the 
girl  in  the  tent  has  been  kept  safe  from  harm ;  and  his 
shootin'  counts  mightily  in  his  favor.  Now,"  said 
the  old  man,  as  he  brushed  some  fine  dust  from  his 
eyes,  that  the  bullet  from  the  gambler's  pistol,  as  it 
bored  its  way  through  the  bark  within  two  inches  of 
the  Trapper's  head,  had  cast  into  them ;  "  now,"  said 
the  old  man,  "  that  was  the  boy's  bullet,  and  ye  see  he 
shoots  jediciously,  for  he'd  got  the  range  and  kalkelated 
my  height  to  an  inch,  and  noted  where  my  head  ought 
to  be.  Yis,  his  shootin'  be  in  his  favor,  and  when  the 
rush  comes,  and  we  have  'em  in  full  jump,  and  we  our- 
selves be  onkivered,  keep  yer  eye  on  Dick  Raymond, 
for  the  boy  has  his  wicked  side,  and  he  shoots  quick 
and  close.  But  ef  ye  git  him  in  line,  don't  let  yer  lead 
git  into  the  vitals,  leastwise  I  shan't,  for  the  boy  be 
wuth  savin'.  There  it  is,"  cried  the  Trapper,  as  Her- 
bert's piece  exploded  from  the  beech  on  the  knoll,  and 
a  yell  of  pain  followed  the  explosion.  "  There,"  shouted 
the  old  man,  "  it  goes  ag'in,  and  there,  as  I  conceited, 
goes  the  inimy  too.  Now,  Mr.  Carson,"  yelled  the 
Trapper,  as  he  sprang  from  behind  his  tree,  "  never 
mind  yer  kiver.  The  swiftest  foot  and  the  quickest 
eye  wins  the  scrimmage,  when  the  ambushment  is  on- 
kivered, and  the  knaves  git  a-runnin'." 

The  result  was  precisely  what  the  Trapper  had  pre- 
dicted. The  position  of  Herbert  commanded  the  entire 
line  of  the  gang,  and  took  them  in  flank.  The  young 


THE  MYSTERY  OF  THE   WOODS.  185 

man  had  spared  the  lives  of  the  two  he  had  singled  out, 
but  both  were  wounded,  and  both  in  the  same  manner 
and  to  the  same  extent ;  for  the  right  arm  of  each 
hung  powerless  at  his  side,  and  their  rifles  had  dropped 
to  the  ground.  The  rush  that  the  entire  party  made 
for  the  swale  and  the  balsam  thicket  beyond,  was  such 
as  men  make  when  they  feel  themselves  overmatched 
and  in  peril.  The  pursuit  of  the  one  party  was  as 
headlong  as  the  retreat  of  the  other  was  precipitate. 
Once  the  rifle  of  the  Trapper  sounded,  and  the  half- 
breed  dropped  as  it  cracked,  but  recovered  his  feet  in 
an  instant,  and  rushed  onward,  apparently  unhurt. 

Beyond  the  balsam  thicket  the  gambler  made  his 
stand.  Carson,  the  detective,  was  in  full  pursuit,  and,  as 
he  burst  through  the  balsams,  he  found  himself  within 
twenty  feet  of  his  antagonist.  Both  men  stood  for  an 
instant,  each  with  a  pistol  in  his  hand,  each  looking  full 
at  the  other.  Both  were  experts.  Each  knew  the  other. 

"  You  count,"  said  the  gambler  coolly. 

"  One,  two,  three"  said  the  detective.     " Fire ! " 

One  pistol  alone  sounded.  The  gambler's  had  failed 
to  explode. 

"  You've  won  :  you  needn't  deal  again,"  said  the 
gambler.  And  then  he  dropped.  The  red  stain  on 
his  white  shirt-front  showed  where  he  was  hit. 

"  There's  some  lint  and  bandage,"  said  the  detective, 
and  he  flung  a  small  package  into  the  gambler's  lap. 
"  I  hope  you  won't  die,  Dick  Raymond." 

"  Oh,  it  was  all  fair,  Carson,"  said  the  other  care- 
lessly. "  I've  held  a  poor  hand  from  the  start "  — 


186  ADIRONDACK  TALES. 

He  paused ;  for  the  detective  had  rushed  on,  and  he 
was  alone. 

Twenty  rods  further  on,  the  detective  caught  up  with 
the  Trapper,  who  was  calmly  recharging  his  piece.  On 
the  edge  of  the  ledge  above,  the  half-breed  lay  dead,  the 
lips  drawn  back  from  his  teeth,  and  his  ugly  counte- 
nance distorted  with  hate  and  rage.  A  rifle,  whose 
muzzle  smoked,  lay  at  his  side ;  and  the  edge  of  the 
Trapper's  left  ear  was  bleeding. 

"  I've  shot  Dick  Raymond  by  the  balsam  thicket," 
said  the  detective.  "  I'm  afraid  he's  hard  hit." 

"I'll  go  and  see  the  boy,"  answered  the  Trapper. 
"  You'll  find  Henry  furder  up.  There's  only  two  run- 
nin'.  You  and  he  can  bring  'em  in." 

The  detective  disappeared  like  a  flash  in  the  direction 
the  Trapper  had  pointed. 

"  Ah  me,"  said  the  old  man,  "  I  hope  the  boy  isn't 
bad  hit,"  and  he  turned  on  his  trail,  and  moved  quickly 
down  toward  the  balsam  thicket. 

The  gambler  was  seated  in  a  reclining  attitude,  his 
body  resting  on  the  mosses,  his  shoulders  and  head 
supported  by  a  rock,  which,  covered  thickly  with  other 
mosses  itself,  made  for  his  growing  weakness  a  natural 
pillow.  The  package  of  lint,  which  the  detective  had 
thrown  to  him  as  he  dashed  away,  after  the  fatal  inter- 
view, lay  within  reach  unopened.  Only  a  stain  on  the 
white  linen  showed  where  he  was  hit,  for  the  hemor- 
rhage was  all  internal.  Through  the  trees,  here  and 
there,  the  bright  water  of  the  lake  showed  clearly. 
The  little  rivulet  that  issued  from  the  Trapper's  spring 


THE  MYSTERY  OF  THE  WOODS.  187 

ran  with  tuneful  gurgling  through  the  swale,  and  fil- 
tered itself  into  the  lake  through  sands  pure  as  its  own 
limpid  stream.  In  the  pines  overhead  were  soothing 
noises.  The  young  balsams  yielded  their  gummy  sweet- 
ness to  the  damp  air.  The  pistol,  by  whose  failure  to 
explode  he  had  escaped  the  crime  of  murder,  lay  by  his 
side,  while  a  dozen  cards,  that  had  been  flung  from  his 
pocket  as  he  dropped,  were  lying  scattered  about,  —  a 
suggestive  commentary  on  the  frivolity  and  sinfulness 
of  his  life.  His  eyes  were  open,  gazing  through  the 
branches  of  the  intervening  trees  at  the  bright  patches 
of  the  shining  water  beyond,  and  the  little  rill  soothed 
the  stillness  with  its  lapsing  sound.  One  would  hardly 
think  that  so  unprincipled  a  life  could  come  to  its  close 
as  peacefully  as  the  peacefulness  of  nature,  which, 
because  of  its  inanimateness,  perhaps,  had  committed 
no  sin,  and  could,  therefore,  be  disturbed  by  no  remorse. 
But  such  apparently  was  the  case;  for  the  look  in  the 
eyes  was  as  placid  as  the  lake  at  which  they  gazed,  and 
the  lines  of  his  face  were  as  calm  and  peaceful  as  a 
child's,  when,  just  before  he  falls  asleep,  his  memory 
is  busy  with  the  happiness  of  the  day  he  has  enjoyed, 
and  to  which,  ere  he  sleeps,  he  would  say  a  pleasant 
farewell. 

The  old  Trapper  saw,  as  he  descended  the  hill,  the 
body  reclining  on  the  mosses  at  the  e.dge  of  the  balsam 
thicket.  The  earth  gave  back  no  sound  as  he  ad- 
vanced, and  he  reached  the  gambler,  and  was  standing 
almost  at  his  very  feet,  ere  the  young  man  was  aware 
of  his  presence  j  but  as  the  form  of  the  Trapper  passed 


188  ADIRONDACK  TALES. 

between  him  and  the  shining  water,  he  turned  his  gaze 
up  to  the  Trapper's  face,  and,  after  studying  the  grave 
lines  for  a  moment,  said,  — 

"You've  won  the  game,  old  man." 

The  Trapper  for  a  moment  made  no  reply.  He 
looked  steadfastly  into  the  young  man's  countenance, 
fixed  his  eyes  on  the  red  stain  on  the  left  breast,  and 
then  said, — 

"  Shall  I  look  at  the  hole,  boy  ?  " 

The  gambler  smiled  pleasantly,  and  nodded  his  head, 
saying,  "  It's  the  natural  thing  to  do  in  these  cases,  I 
believe."  Lifting  his  hands,  he  unbuttoned  the  collar, 
and  unscrewed  the  solitaire  stud  from  the  white  bosom. 
The  Trapper  knelt  by  the  young  man's  side,  and,  laying 
back  the  linen  from  the  chest,  wiped  the  blood-stain 
with  a  piece  of  lint  from  the  white  skin,  and  carefully 
studied  the  edges  of  the  wound,  seeking  to  ascertain 
the  direction  which  the  bullet  had  taken  as  it  pene- 
trated the  flesh.  At  last  he  drew  his  face  back,  and 
lifted  himself  to  his  feet,  not  a  shade  in  the  expression 
of  his  face  revealing  his  thought. 

"  Is  it  my  last  deal,  old  man  ?  "  asked  the  gambler 
carelessly. 

"  I  have  seed  a  good  many  wounds,"  answered  the 
Trapper,  "  and  I've  noted  the  direction  of  a  good  many 
bullits,  and  I  never  knowed  a  man  live  who  was  hit 
where  ye  be  hit,  ef  the  lead  had  the  slant  inward,  as  the 
piece  had  that  has  gone  into  ye." 

For  a  minute  the  young  man  made  no  reply.  No 
change  came  to  his  countenance.  He  turned  his  eyes 


THE  MYSTERY  OF  THE   WOODS.  189 

from  the  Trapper's  face,  and  looked  pleasantly  off 
toward  the  water.  He  even  whistled  softly  a  line  or 
two  of  an  old  love  ballad  ;  then  he  paused,  and,  drawn 
perhaps  by  the  magnetism  of  the  steady  gaze  which 
the  eyes  of  the  Trapper  fixed  upon  him,  he  looked 
again  into  the  old  man's  face,  and  said,  — 

"  What  is  it,  John  Norton  ?  " 

"  I  be  sorry  for  ye,  boy,"  answered  the  old  man.  "I 
be  sorry  for  ye,  for  life  be  sweet  to  the  young,  and  I 
wish  that  yer  years  might  be  many  on  the  'arth." 

"  I  fancy  there's  a  good  many  who  will  be  glad  to 
hear  I'm  out  of  it,"  was  the  careless  response. 

"  I  don't  doubt  ye  have  yer  faults,  boy,"  answered 
the  Trapper,  "  and  I  dare  say  ye  have  lived  loosely,  and 
did  many  deeds  that  was  better  ondid ;  but  the  best  use 
of  life  be  to  learn  how  to  live,  and  I  feel  sartin  ye'd 
have  got  better  as  ye  got  older,  and  made  the  last  half 
of  yer  life  wipe  out  the  fust,  so  that  the  figurs  for  and 
agin  ye  would  have  balanced  in  the  jedgment." 

"  You  aren't  fool  enough  to  believe  what  the  hypo- 
critical church  members  talk,  are  you,  John  Norton  ? 
You  don't  believe  that  there's  any  Judgment  Day,  do 
you?" 

"I  don't  know  much  about  church  members,"  an- 
swered the  Trapper,  "  for  I've  never  ben  in  the  settle- 
ments ;  leastwise,  I've  never  studied  the  habits  of  the 
creeturs,  and  I  dare  say  that  they  differ,  bein'  good  and 
bad,  and  I've  seed  some  that  was  sartinly  vagabonds. 
No,  I  don't  know  much  about  church  members ;  but  I 
sartinly  believe  ;  yis,  I  know,  there  be  a  day  when  the 


190  ADIRONDACK  TALES. 

Lord  shall  jedge  the  livin'  and  the  dead;  and  the 
honest  trapper  shall  stand  on  one  side,  and  the  vag- 
abond that  pilfers  his  skins  and  steals  his  traps  shall 
stand  on  the  other.  This  is  what  the  Book  says,  and 
it  sartinly  seems  reasonable ;  for  the  deeds  that  be  did 
on  the  'arth  be  of  two  sorts,  and  the  folks  that  do  'em 
be  of  two  kind,  and  atween  the  two,  the  Lord,  ef  he 
notes  anything,  must  make  a  dividin'  line." 

"And  when  do  you  think  this  judgment  is,  John 
Norton  ? "  asked  the  gambler,  as  if  he  was  actually 
enjoying  the  crude  but  honest  ideas  of  his  companion. 
The  Trapper  hesitated  a  moment  before  he  spoke,  then 
he  said,  — 

"  I  conceit  that  the  jedgment  be  always  goin'  on. 
It's  a  court  that  never  adjourns,  and  the  desarters  and 
the  knaves  and  the  disobedient  in  the  rigiment  be 
always  on  trial.  But  I  conceit  that  there  comes  a  day 
to  every  man,  good  and  bad,  when  the  record  of  his 
deeds  be  looked  over  from  the  start,  and  the  good  and 
the  bad  counted  up ;  and  in  that  day  he  gits  the  final 
jedgment,  whether  it  be  for  or  agin  him.  And  now, 
boy,"  continued  the  old  man  solemnly,  with  a  touch  of 
infinite  tenderness  in  the  vibrations  of  his  voice,  "ye 
be  nigh  the  jedgment  day,  yerself,  and  the  deeds  ye 
have  did,  both  the  good  and  the  bad,  will  be  passed  in 
review." 

"  I  reckon  there  isn't  much  chance  for  me,  if  your 
view  is  sound,  John  Norton."  And,  for  the  first  time, 
his  tone  lost  its  cheerful  recklessness. 

"  The  court  be  a  court  of  marcy  j  and  the  Jedge 


THE  MYSTERY  OF  THE   WOODS.  191 

looks  upon  'em  that  comes  up  for  trial  as  ef  he  was 
their  Father." 

"  That  ends  it,  old  man,"  answered  the  gambler. 
"  My  father  never  showed  me  any  mercy  when  I  was  a 
boy.  If  he  had,  I  shouldn't  have  been  here  now.  If  I 
did  a  wrong  deed,  I  got  it  to  the  last  inch  of  the 
lash,"  and  the  words  were  more  intensely  bitter  because 
spoken  so  quietly. 

"  The  fathers  of  the  'arth,  boy,  be  not  like  the  Father 
of  heaven,  for  I  have  seed  'em  correct  their  children 
beyend  reason,  and  without  marcy.  They  whipped  in 
their  rage,  and  not  in  their  wisdom ;  they  whipped 
because  they  was  strong,  and  not  because  of  their  love; 
they  whipped  when  they  should  have  forgiven,  and  got 
what  they  'arnt  —  the  hatred  of  their  children.  But 
the  Father  of  heaven  be  different,  boy.  He  knows 
that  men  be  weak,  as  well  as  wicked.  He  knows  that 
half  of  'em  haven't  had  a  fair  chance,  and  so  he  over- 
looks much ;  and  when  he  can't  overlook  it,  I  conceit 
he  sorter  forgives  in  a  lump.  Yis,  he  subtracts  all  he 
can  from  the  evil  we  have  did,  boy,  and  ef  that  isn't 
enough  to  satisfy  his  feelin's  toward  a  man  that  might 
have  ben  different  ef  he'd  had  a  fair  start,  he  jest  wipes 
the  whole  row  of  figurs  clean  out  at  the  askin'." 

"At  the  asking?"  said  the  gambler;  "that's  a  mighty 
quick  game.  Did  you  ever  pray,  John  Norton  ? 

"  Sartin,  sartin,  I  be  a  prayin'  man,"  said  the  Trap- 
per sturdily. 

"  At  the  asking !  "  murmured  the  gambler,  softly. 

"Sartin,  boy,"   answered  the  Trapper,   "that's  the 


192  ADIRONDACK  TALES. 

line  the  trail  takes,  ye  can  depend  on  it ;  and  it  will 
bring  ye  to  the  eend  of  the  Great  Clearin'  in  peace." 

"It's  a  quick  deal,"  said  the  gambler,  speaking  to 
himself,  utterly  unconscious  of  the  incongruity  of  his 
speech  to  his  thought.  "  It's  a  quick  deal,  but  I  can 
see  that  it  might  end  as  he  says,  if  the  feeling  was 
right." 

For  a  moment  nothing  was  said.  The  Trapper  stood 
looking  steadfastly  at  the  young  man  on  the  moss,  as 
he  lay  with  his  quiet  face  turned  up  to  the  sky,  to 
whose  color  had  already  come  the  first  shade  of  the 
awful  whiteness. 

Up  the  mountain  a  rifle  cracked.  Neither  stirred. 
A  red  squirrel  ran  out  upon  the  limb,  twenty  feet  above 
the  gambler's  head,  and  shook  the  silence  into  frag- 
ments with  his  chattering  ;  then  sat  gazing  with 
startled  eyes  at  the  two  men  underneath. 

"  Can  you  pray,  old  man  ?  "  asked  the  gambler  quietly. 

"  Sartinly,"  answered  the  Trapper. 

"  Can  you  pray  in  words  ?"  asked  the  gambler  again. 

For  a  moment  the  Trapper  hesitated.  Then  he 
said,  — 

"I  can't  say  that  I  can.  No,  I  sartinly  can't  say 
that  I  could  undertake  it  with  a  reasonable  chance  of 
gittin'  through ;  leastwise,  it  wouldn't  be  in  a  way  to 
help  a  man  any." 

"  Is  there  any  way,  old  man,  in  which  we  can  go 
partners  ?  "  asked  the  gambler,  the  vocabulary  of  whose 
profession  still  clung  to  him  in  the  solemn  counselling. 

"I  was  thinkin'  of  that,"  answered  the  Trapper; 


THE  MYSTERY  OP  TSE  WOODS.  193 

"  yis,  I  was  thinkin'  ef  we  couldn't  sorter  jine  works, 
and  each  help  the  other  by  doin'  his  own  part  himself. 
Yis,"  continued  the  old  man,  after  a  moment's  reflec- 
tion, "the  plan's  a  good  un  —  ye  pray  for  yerself,  and 
I'll  pray  for  myself  —  and  ef  I  can  git  in  anything  that 
seems  likely  to  do  ye  sarvice,  ye  can  count  on  it,  as  ye 
can  on  a  grooved  barrel. 

"  And  now,  boy,"  said  the  Trapper,  with  a  sweetly 
solemn  enthusiasm,  such  as  faith  might  give  to  a  sup- 
plicating saint,  —  which  lighted  his  features  until  his 
countenance  fairly  shone  with  a  light  which  came  out 
of  it,  rather  than  upon  it,  from  the  sun  overhead,  — 
"now,  boy,  remember  that  the  Lord  is  Lord  of  the 
woods,  as  well  as  of  the  cities,  and  that  he  heareth  the 
prayin'  of  the  poor  hunter  under  the  pines,  as  well  as 
the  great  preachers  in  the  pulpits,  and  that  when  sins 
be  heavy,  and  death  be  nigh,  his  ear  and  his  heart  be 
both  open.  There  was  no  use  of  his  Son's  dyin',  ef  the 
Father  can't  be  forgivin'." 

The  Trapper  knelt  on  the  moss  at  the  gambler's  feet. 
He  clasped  the  fingers  of  his  great  hands  until  they 
interlaced,  and  lifted  his  wrinkled  face  upward.  He 
said  not  a  word ;  but  an  eye  that  was  watching  noted 
that  the  strongly  chiselled  lips,  seamed  with  age,  moved 
and  twitched  now  and  then,  and  the  same  eye  saw,  as 
the  silent  prayer  went  on,  two  great  tears  leave  the 
protection  of  the  closed  lids,  and  roll  down  the  rugged 
cheek.  The  gambler  also  closed  his  eyes;  then  his 
hands  quietly  stole  one  into  the  other,  and,  avoiding 
the  bloody  stain,  rested  on  his  breast ;  and  thus  the 


194  ADIRONDACK  TALES. 

old  man  who  had  lived  beyond  the  limit  of  man's  day, 
and  the  young  one  cut  down  at  the  threshold  of  ma- 
ture life,  —  the  one  kneeling  on  the  mosses,  with  his 
face  lifted  to  heaven,  the  other  lying  on  the  mosses, 
with  his  face  turned  toward  the  same  sky,  without 
word  or  uttered  speech,  —  prayed  to  the  Divine  Mercy 
which  beyond  the  heaven  and  the  sky  saw  the  two 
men  underneath  the  pines,  and  met,  we  may  not  doubt, 
with  needed  answer  the  silent  up-going  prayer. 

The  two  opened  their  eyes  nearly  at  the  same  instant. 
They  looked  for  a  moment  at  each  other,  and  then  the 
gambler  feebly  lifted  his  hand,  and  put  it  into  the 
broad  palm  of  the  Trapper.  Not  a  word  was  said.  No 
word  was  needed.  Sometimes  men  understand  each 
other  better  than  by  talking.  Then  the  gambler  picked 
the  diamond  stud  from  the  spot  where  it  rested,  slipped 
the  solitaire  from  his  finger,  and  said,  as  he  handed 
them  to  the  Trapper,  — 

"There's  a  girl  in  Montreal  that  will  like  these. 
You  will  find  her  picture  inside  my  vest,  when  you 
bury  me.  Her  address  is  inside  the  picture-case.  You 
will  take  them  to  her,  John  Norton  ?  " 

"She  shall  have  them  from  my  own  hand,"  answered 
the  Trapper,  gravely. 

"  You  needn't  disturb  the  picture,  John  Norton,"  said 
the  gambler ;  "  it's  just  as  well,  perhaps,  to  let  it  lie 
where  it  is ;  it's  been  there  eight  years.  You  under- 
stand what  I  mean,  old  man  ?  " 

"  I  understand,"  answered  the  Trapper,  solemnly  j 
"  the  pictur  shall  stay  where  it  is." 


THE  MYSTERY  OF  THE   WOODS.  195 

"The  pistols,"  resumed  the  gambler,  and  he  glanced 
at  the  one  lying  on  the  moss,  "  I  give  to  you.  You'll 
find  them  true.  You  will  accept  them?" 

The  Trapper  bowed  his  head.  It  is  doubtful  if  he 
could  speak.  For  several  minutes  there  was  silence. 
The  end  was  evidently  nigh.  The  Trapper  took  the 
gambler's  hand,  as  if  it  had  been  the  hand  of  his  own 
boy.  Indeed,  perhaps  the  young  man  had  found  his 
father  at  last;  for  surely  it  isn't  flesh  that  makes 
fatherhood.  Once  the  young  man  moved  as  if  he  would 
rise.  Had  he  been  able,  he  would  have  died  with  his 
arms  round  the  old  man's  neck.  As  it  was,  his  strength 
was  unequal  to  the  impulse.  He  lifted  his  eyes  to  the 
old  man's  face  lovingly,  moved  his  body  as  if  he  would 
get  a  little  nearer,  and,  as  a  child  might  speak  a  lov- 
ing thought  aloud,  said,  "  I  am  glad  I  met  you,  John 
Norton,"  and  with  the  saying  of  the  sweet  words,  he 
died. 

But  the  water  gleamed  as  brightly  through  the  trees 
as  before ;  the  little  rivulet  sang  as  tunefully ;  the  bal- 
sams poured  their  odors  forth  with  undiminished 
measure,  and  the  squirrel  crept  with  new  courage  from 
his  hiding-place,  and,  scampering  out  to  the  limit  of 
the  branch,  poured  his  merry  chatterings  forth  upon 
the  quiet  air.  The  Trapper  lifted  the  body  of  the 
gambler  in  his  arms,  and  bore  him  to  his  cabin,  and 
laid  him  on  his  own  bed ;  then,  closing  the  door  of  the 
cabin,  he  went  to  the  bank  that  overlooked  the  lake, 
and  sounded  the  two  signals  for  the  return. 

Perhaps  an  hour  had  passed.     The  old  man  had  not 


196  ADIRONDACK  TALES. 

noted  the  passage  of  time :  he  was  thinking  of  that 
graver  passage  which  a  soul  had  made  from  the  edge 
of  the  balsam  thicket  into  the  great  unknown.  Sud- 
denly he  was  aware  of  presences,  and,  looking  up,  saw 
his  three  companions  standing  nigh.  Save  a  few 
bruises  and  some  slight  wounds,  they  were  unhurt. 

"  I'm  thankful,"  said  the  old  man,  "  that  ye  all  be 
alive.  It  might  have  been  different  but  for  yer  coming, 
Henry ;  but  we  were  too  strong  for  'em.  Be  the  vaga- 
bonds well  tied  ?  " 

"  "We  have  four  lashed  to  as  many  trees  back  of  the 
cabin,"  answered  the  detective.  "The  Blackamoor  is  in 
the  cabin  by  the  body,  weeping  like  a  child.  He  says 
his  only  friend  is  dead.  The  half-breed  —  well,  you 
know  where  he  is  ?  " 

"  Yis,  yis,"  replied  the  Trapper.  "He  brought  it  on 
himself.  I  offered  him  tarms ;  but  the  devil  was  in 
him,  and  I  come  near  waitin'  too  long,  for  his  bullet 
tingled  my  cheek  here,"  and  the  old  man  turned  toward 
them  the  left  side  of  his  face,  which  the  half-breed's 
bullet  had  literally  grazed  as  it  passed;  "so  it  was  lead 
or  nothin',  and  that  settled  it.  And  now,  Mr.  Carson, 
the  scrimmage  is  over.  What  next  ?  " 

"  What  next  ?  "  echoed  the  detective.  "  The  tent  on 
the  Point,  and  the  captive  in  it.  For  two  months  I've 
followed  the  scamps,  for  I  swore  I'd  find  her  before 
the  trial  came  off,  and  place  her  face  to  face  with  her 
rascally  uncle;  but  the  honors  belong  to  you,  John 
Norton,  and  your  hand  shall  set  her  free,  and  your  face 
shall  be  the  first  that  she  sees.  Come,  let  us  go." 


THE  MYSTERY  OF  THE  WOODS.  197 

To  this  all  eagerly  assented,  and  in  a  moment  the 
four  were  in  the  boat.  Herbert  had  the  oars,  and  the 
Trapper  handled  the  paddle,  and  the  narrow  shell  raced 
along  as  if  driven  by  steam.  In  less  than  twenty  min- 
utes they  were  at  the  Point,  and,  running  the  boat  in, 
they  stepped  out  upon  the  beach.  The  camp  was 
deserted,  and  they  proceeded  at  once  to  the  tent.  In 
front  of  the  door  they  paused  a  moment  to  listen. 
The  sound  as  of  a  person  moving  came  to  their  ears. 
They  looked  at  each  other  with  faces  lighted  with 
pleasure. 

"  The  girl  be  alive  and  movin',  for  sartin,"  said  the 
Trapper ;  and  he  laughed  in  his  own  silent  genial 
fashion.  "It'll  be  worth  a  fall's  trappin'  to  see  the 
look  in  her  face  when  she  knows  she's  free.  Shall  we 
go  in,  Mr.  Carson  ?  " 

The  detective  simply  nodded.  He  was  too  excited 
to  speak. 

The  old  man  unbuttoned  the  canvas  door,  and  dis- 
appeared. The  others  followed. 

The  tent  was  divided  in  the  middle  by  a  curtain  that 
stretched  from  side  to  side.  The  half  they  stood  in 
was  empty ;  not  an  article  of  furniture  even  was  in 
sight.  Back  of  the  curtain  was  the  girl.  It  was  her 
private  apartment.  The  Trapper,  with  native  delicacy, 
shrank  from  parting  the  folds  where  they  lapped  at 
the  centre.  It  was  a  singular  position.  The  Trapper 
looked  at  the  detective  interrogatively.  For  an  instant 
he  hesitated. 

His  lips  were  actually  white.     Then  he  summoned 


198  ADIRONDACK  TALES. 

his  powers,  and  said,  "  I  can't  stand  this.  John  Nor- 
ton, for  God's  sake,  part  the  curtain." 

The  old  man  turned  toward  the  drapery.  He  took  a 
step  forward.  He  stretched  out  his  hand.  His  fingers 
almost  touched  the  cloth,  but  his  hand  went  no  farther. 
A  sound  as  of  a  person  rising  from  a  chair  was  heard 
within.  Then  a  step,  slow  and  heavy,  moved  toward 
them.  Then  a  hand  grasped  the  curtain  from  within, 
and  with  a  quick  motion  drew  the  clinging  folds  apart, 
and  a  man,  tall  of  stature,  noble  of  aspect,  and  with  a 
beard  white  as  snow,  stood  before  them  ! 

"  God  in  heaven,  who  is  this  ?  " 

It  was  the  detective  that  spoke.  Then  he  staggered 
against  the  side  of  the  tent  for  support.  The  Yankee 
gave  one  look,  and  with  a  face  white  as  chalk  and 
hair  actually  lifting,  turned  and  dove  out  of  the  tent. 

For  a  minute  not  a  word  was  said.  The  face  of 
Herbert,  under  the  pressure  of  the  awful  surprise, 
tightened,  and  the  knit  look  of  the  features  showed 
the  tremendous  effort  of  will  he  was  making ;  but  he 
moved  not  a  step,  and  he  spoke  not  a  word. 

The  Trapper,  who  was  in  front  of  his  companions, 
and  actually  within  an  arm's  length  of  the  apparition, 
—  for  so  he  might  in  truth  be  regarded  —  had  stood 
the  supreme  test  unflinchingly,  for  not  a  muscle  of  his 
face  moved,  or  a  motion  of  his  body  followed  the 
sudden  appearance.  As  if  in  deference  to  the  other's 
dignity  and  age  he  had  lifted  his  hat  from  his  head ; 
but  beyond  this  he  had  remained  unmoved. 

"Gentlemen,"   said   the   man,   "may   I   know  th« 


THE  MYSTERY  OF  THE  WOODS.  199 

reason  that  I  have  the  honor  of  your  visit  ? "  and  he 
spoke  with  that  quiet  courtesy  that  denotes  the  pol- 
ished gentleman. 

"We  thought  you  was  a  prisoner,"  answered  the 
Trapper. 

"  I  am  a  prisoner,"  answered  the  man. 

"  Ye  sartinly  ain't  the  one  we  expected  to  find," 
responded  the  Trapper ;  "  but  if  ye  was  a  prisoner,  ye 
ain't  one  now,  for  the  vagabonds  that  had  ye  in  their 
power  are  prisoners  themselves,  and  we  be  friends,  and 
this  be  the  officer  of  the  law,"  and  he  pointed  to  the 
detective. 

"  I  thank  you  for  your  good  intentions,  gentlemen," 
answered  the  strange  being ;  "  but  your  services  came 
too  late,  I  fear.  I've  been  a  prisoner  for  twenty  years." 
The  man's  words  were  spoken  with  a  tone  and  manner 
that  carried  conviction  with  them. 

The  Trapper,  astonished  at  the  revelation,  ex- 
claimed, — 

"  Friend,  who  be  ye  that  has  been  a  prisoner  for 
twenty  years  ?  " 

The  man  looked  the  Trapper  steadily  in  the  face  a 
moment,  and  answered, — 

"  I  am  a  man  whom  nobody  knows  !  " 


PART  n. 

THE  MYSTERY  OF  THE  WOODS. 


PART  II 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

IT  was  well  on  towards  evening  ;  for  while  the  sun 
had  not  yet  set,  its  orb  had  already  declined  below  the 
summit  of  the  mountain  that  rose  sharply  from  the 
western  shore  of  the  lake.  The  water  was  without  a 
ripple,  and  in  it  its  monstrous  bulk  was  reflected,  as 
in  a  mirror  large  enough  to  accommodate,  without 
shrinking,  its  huge  proportions. 

The  Trapper,  Herbert,  and  the  detective  were 
standing  on  the  shore  of  the  lake,  engaged  in  earnest 
conversation. 

"  I'll  allow,"  said  the  Trapper,  "  that  I'm  a  good 
deal  disapp'inted,  as  I  know  ye  be,  Mr.  Carson,  at  not 
fin  din'  the  girl  in  the  tent ;  and  I  conceit  that  Henry 
himself  feels  a  leetle  onsettled,  like  a  hound  when  he 
suddenly  has  lost  every  trace  of  the  scent  that  was 
strong  in  his  nostrils ;  for  though  he  don't  say  much,  I 
can  see  that  the  boy  be  worried.  Yis,  I'll  allow  I'm  a 
good  deal  disapp'inted,  for  I  sartinly  thought  the  girl 
was  behind  the  curtin.  And  when  the  man  put  his 
face  out  in  sight  it  was  like  a  sudden  onkiverin'  of  an 
ambushment  when  ye  didn't  expect  the  inemy  was 
nigh,  but  —  " 

203 


204  ADIRONDACK  TALES. 

"  I  don't  see  how  you  stood  the  shock  of  the  surprise 
as  you  did,  John  Norton,"  said  the  detective,  interrupt- 
ing him.  "  You  never  changed  a  muscle  of  your  face, 
and  I  think  mine  was  white  as  chalk.  I'll  admit  I 
could  scarcely  stand.  I  was  as  certain,  as  I  am  at  this 
minute  that  I  am  alive,  that  the  girl  was  behind  the 
curtain ;  and  when  that  face  with  its  white  beard  was 
thrust  out  it  nearly  took  the  breath  out  of  me." 

"  Narves  be  narves,"  said  the  Trapper,  "  and  nothin' 
but  trainin'  gits  the  shakin'  out  of  'em.  Lord !  I  can 
remember  when  the  snappin'  of  a  twig  in  the  woods 
would  make  my  heart  thump  agin  the  ribs  like  a 
hammer ;  but  years  of  campin'  and  trailin'  and  trappin', 
and  I  might  say  a  leetle  fightin'  throwed  in  off  and  on, 
both  by  day  and  night,  has  took  the  shakin'  and  the 
thumpin'  out  of  me,  and  made  me  steady  like.  I  don't 
conceit  that  anything  can  distarb  me  overmuch,  onless 
it  be  the  f ailin'  of  a  cap  when  there's  no  meat  in  the 
cabin,  and  the  buck  is  a  fat  un;  that  sartinly  does 
make  a  man  feel  empty  like  and  shaky  in  his  stomach. 
But  what  shall  we  do  about  the  girl  ?  We've  sartinly 
found  out  what  is  in  the  big  tent ;  but  the  girl  that 
ought  to  be  in  it  isn't  there ;  and  the  question  is : 
Where  is  she  ?  Shall  we  give  it  up,  Mr.  Carson  ?  " 

"  Never !  "  exclaimed  the  detective,  "  never,  while 
God  gives  me  breath,  will  I  give  up  the  search  till  I 
find  her  or  find  her  body ! "  and  the  detective  closed 
his  sentence  with  a  voice  that  shook  with  the  strength 
of  his  emotion. 

"  I  conceited  ye  would  say  as  much,"  responded  the 


THE  MYSTERY  OF  THS  WOODS.  205 

Trapper,  "  and  ye've  answered  like  a  man.  But  ye'll 
stand  leetle  chance  of  findin'  her  in  the  woods  onless 
ye  have  help ;  for  the  settlements  be  one  thing  and  the 
wilderness  be  another.  And  a  man  of  city  trainin' 
though  he  be  wise  in  his  way,  is  no  better  than  a  babe, 
when  the  sarch  lies  in  the  woods  and  on  the  rivers 
where  the  path  is  on  waters  that  leave  no  trail.  And 
so  I  ax  ye,  Henry, — for  it's  well  in  a  council  that  the 
p'ints  be  made  clear  to  each  one,  —  I  ax  ye,  Henry, 
what  course  will  ye  take,  and  what  ye  be  willin'  to  do?" 

"  The  girl  must  be  found."  That  was  all  the  young 
man  said. 

"  Ye  have  spoken  well,  Henry,"  answered  the  Trap- 
per. "  I  didn't  ax  ye  the  question  because  I  doubted 
what  ye  would  say ;  but  because  it  was  accordin'  to 
reason  and  form  of  conductin'  a  council  that  the  ques- 
tion be  put  to  ye.  And  it's  sartinly  pleasant  to  hear 
the  tongue  of  a  friend  and  a  comrade  speak  out  his 
feelin's  when  his  feelin's  be  right.  And  so,  as  we  three 
be  agreed  that  the  girl  must  be  found,  we  need  say  no 
more  about  it." 

"It  is  all  very  well,"  said  the  detective,  "to  say 
that  the  girl  must  be  found  ;  but  that  doesn't  find  her, 
nor  do  I  see  any  way  by  which  her  whereabouts  can  be 
discovered."  And  he  spoke  in  the  tone  of  despondency. 

"  Hoot,  boy !  "  said  the  Trapper ;  "  ye  speak  out  of 
yer  feelin's,  and  not  out  of  yer  jedgment,  when  ye  talk 
in  that  fashion.  I've  heerd  ye  say  that  nothin'  can  be 
hidden  so  in  the  settlements  that  ye  cannot  find  it  out ; 
and  I  can  conceit  it  is  so ;  for  I  sartinly  doubt  ef  one 


206  ADIRONDACK  TALES. 

can  be  hidden  in  these  woods,  from  the  Horicon  to  the 
cleared  farms  on  the  St.  Lawrence,  that  I  can't  set  my 
eyes  on,  ef  ye  give  me  a  rational  amount  of  time,  and 
especially  ef  Henry  be  thro  wed  in  as  a  companion. 
For  the  boy  has  his  gifts ;  and  it  is  on  the  trail  as  it  is 
in  a  council  —  two  heads  be  better  than  one ;  ay,  and 
two  rifles,  too,  ef  it  comes  to  close  work,  and  the  trail 
tarminates  in  a  scrimmage.  And,  as  Henry  says  the 
girl  must  be  found,  it  settles  that  he  is  to  go  with  me. 
So,  I  give  ye  the  word  of  a  scout,  Mr.  Carson,  whose 
eye  has  never  failed  to  find  what  he  started  to  find, 
sence  he  struck  the  west  shore  of  the  Horicon  nigh  on 
to  fifty  year  agone,  that  ef  ye  will  give  us  a  rational 
amount  of  time,  Henry  and  me  will  find  the  girl. 
And  now  I  will  ax  ye  a  few  questions,  and  I  must  ax 
ye  to  answer  keerfully,  for  the  direction  of  the  sarch, 
and  the  reason  of  it,  will  depend  on  yer  answers." 

"  Say  on,"  said  the  detective. 

"  Ye  be  sure  that  the  girl  was  with  the  vagabonds 
that  owned  this  camp  when  they  came  to  Indian 
Carry?" 

"  I  am,"  answered  the  detective. 

"  Why  be  ye  sure  of  it  ?  "  asked  the  Trapper. 

"Because  I  saw  the  imprint  of  her  shoe  on  the 
Carry,"  was  the  answer. 

"  Which  eend  of  the  Carry  ?  "  asked  the  Trapper. 

"At  both  ends,"  responded  the  detective.  "  I  noted 
it  closely,  and  the  last  step  she  took  was  as  she  got 
into  the  boat,  and  the  mark  was  deep  and  strong  in 
the  sands  of  the  beach." 


THE  MYSTERY  OF  THE   WOODS.  207 

"Sech  signs,"  responded  the  Trapper,  "can't  lie. 
Ef  ye  did  see  the  girl's  footstep  on  the  beach  at  the 
southern  eend  of  the  Carry,  then  the  girl  be  in  the 
woods;  and  there  is  leetle  credit  in  foretellin'  what 
directions  the  vagabonds  that  had  her  took  artej-  theF 
left  the  beach  where  ye  saw  her  footsteps. " 

"Where  did  they  take  her?"  asked  the  detective, 
and  he  spoke  with  quick,  earnest  emphasis. 

"  They  took  her  to  the  west,"  answered  the  Trapper 
promptly,  "  and  I  ax  Henry  to  follow  the  reason  of  my 
say  in'.  They  come  through  the  Three  Ponds  and 
down  the  Crick  without  a  stun,  till  they  struck  the 
Racquette.  To  this  p'int  the  vagabonds  kept  each 
other  company,  but  at  this  p'int  they  parted,  and  part 
of  them  come  up  the  Racquette,  and  pitched  their  camp 
here,  with  the  man  who  calls  himself  'The  Man 
That  Nobody  Knows.'  The  other  party  went  down  the 
Racquette  with  the  girl." 

"  Where  is  she  now,  then,  John  Norton  ?  "  asked  the 
detective  sharply. 

"  She  be  in  the  western  woods,"  answered  the  Trap- 
per promptly ;  and  he  swept  his  hand  up  toward  the 
summit  of  the  mountain  that  stood  between  him  and 
the  setting  sun. 

For  several  moments  the  three  men  remained  silent ; 
then  the  Trapper  said,  — 

"  Henry,  be  I  right  ?     What  do  ye  say  ?  " 

"  The  girl  is  to  the  west,"  answered  the  young  man. 

"  Two  voices  in  a  council  of  three  settles  it,"  answered 
the  Trapper.  "  Mr.  Carson,  the  boy  isn't  wordy,  but 


208  ADIRONDACK  TALES. 

ye  see  that  he  and  me  think  alike.  The  girl  ye  be 
lookin'  for  is  over  here  by  the  west,  ye  may  be  sartin 
of  that.  Well,  Henry,  what  is  it  ?  " 

A  look  on  the  young  man's  face  had  elicited  the 
interrogation.  The  young  man  hesitated  a  moment, 
and  glanced  at  the  detective. 

"  Say  it  out,  boy ;  say  it  out,"  said  the  Trapper. 
"Say  out  yer  thought  whatever  it  be.  We  be  in 
council,  and  a  council  where  the  thought  is  held  back 
is  not  likely  to  be  noted  for  wisdom.  What  is  it  ye 
would  say,  boy  ?  " 

"Why  should  they  take  her  that  way?"  asked  the 
young  man. 

The  old  man  gazed  steadily  at  the  face  of  his  com- 
panion ;  but  he  made  no  answer.  Whatever  was  his 
thought  he  didn't  speak  it.  He  simply  looked  at  the 
detective,  and  said,  as  if  speaking  to  himself,  — 

"  The  western  woods  be  a  lonely  place  for  sartin." 

A  moment's  silence. 

"  I  think  the  question  should  be  answered,"  persisted 
Henry,  "  and  so  I  ask  again,  and  I'll  ask  it  directly  of 
him  who  knows  most  of  the  character  of  her  captors : 
Mr.  Carson,  why  did  they  take  her  into  the  woods  ? " 

The  detective's  face  showed  rigid  in  every  line.  His 
teeth  were  set,  but  the  words  that  came  were  clearly 
spoken,  and  were  these,  — 

"  They  took  the  girl  there  to  kill  her." 

"I  conceited  as  much,"  said  the  Trapper;  "but  I 
doubt  ef  they  would  do  it.  They  might  do  it  ef  they 
was  forced  to  it  j  but  there  be  an  easier  way.  I  have 


THE  MYSTERY  OF  THE  WOODS.  209 

my  thought  of  the  matter,  but  it  needn't  be  said  at 
this  council.  The  boy  and  me  can  talk  it  over  arter 
we  be  movin'." 

"  When  shall  you  start  ?  "  asked  the  detective. 

"  As  soon  as  we  have  eaten,"  answered  the  Trapper. 
"By  the  time  the  sun  is  down  Henry  and  me  can  be  in 
motion,  and  when  it  comes  up  we'll  eat  our  meal  sixty 
mile  from  where  we  be  standin'.  The  girl  be  in 
danger,  and  there's  no  time  to  lose." 

While  the  three  had  been  thus  engaged  in  conversa- 
tion, the  Yankee  had  been,  according  to  his  conceptions 
of  duty,  even  better  employed.  And,  as  the  three 
turned  from  the  beach  they  found  that  a  meal  of 
unusual  abundance  and  extraordinary  variety  awaited 
them.  The  larder  of  the  outlaws  was,  indeed,  stocked, 
as  seldom  one  ever  was  in  such  a  locality. 

"  I  conceit,"  said  the  Trapper,  as  they  were  about  to 
be  seated  at  the  table,  "  that  our  friend  in  the  tent 
should  be  axed  to  jine  us ;  for  though  he  don't  look 
like  a  man  that  carries  a  big  appetite  in  his  stomach, 
yit  fastin'  sartinly  sharpens  one's  hunger ;  and  I  doubt 
ef  he  has  tasted  food  sence  the  mornin'.  He  sartinly 
looks  like  a  man  of  good  breedin',  and  his  bearin'  is  as 
grand  as  a  gineral's.  And  while  I  trust  I  know  how 
to  show  proper  respect  to  my  superiors,  yit  it  may  be, 
Henry,  that  the  man  would  take  to  ye  a  leetle  more 
nateral  than  he  would  to  me.  And  it  may  be  that  ye 
would  understand  him  and  his  ways,  and  the  way  to 
make  him  feel  that  he  is  welcome  better  than  myself. 
And  so  I  conceit  that  ye  be  the  one  to  go  and  ax  the 


210  ADIRONDACK  TALES. 

stranger  to  jine  us.  The  meal  be  abundant,  and  he  is 
sartinly  welcome." 

In  accordance  with  the  suggestion,  Henry  passed  up 
toward  the  big  tent,  and  entered  it.  In  a  few  moments 
he  returned,  accompanied  by  "  The  Man  Whom  Nobody 
Knows."  The  Trapper  and  his  companions  had 
remained  standing ;  though  the  Yankee,  who,  perhaps, 
had  not  perfectly  sensed  the  propriety  of  the  compli- 
ment thus  tendered  in  deference  to  their  unknown 
guest,  had  manifested  unmistakable  anxiety  lest  the 
viands,  which  he  had,  indeed,  skilfully  prepared,  should 
become  so  cooled  as  to  lose  something  of  their  savory 
quality. 

"Ye  be  welcome,  friend,"  said  the  Trapper,  who, 
standing  at  the  head  of  the  table,  addressed  the  stranger 
as  he  spoke,  "  ye  be  welcome  to  our  table,  and  we  trust 
our  companionship  will  not  distarb  ye.  And  though 
ye  will  allow  us  to  say  that  we  was  lookin'  for  another 
parson,  and  was  onreasonably  disapp'inted  in  findin'  ye 
and  not  another  one,  yit  we  be  glad  that  we  come  at 
the  time  when  ye  needed  us,  and  we  rejoice  that  ye 
have  found  yer  liberty." 

"  I  feel,"  said  the  man,  "  that  I  ought  to  be  grateful 
to  you  and  your  companions,  sir,  in  restoring  me  as 
you  have  to  my  liberty,  though  the  word  means  to  me 
less  than  to  others ;  for  though  my  body  has  been  in 
bondage  to  a  wicked  restraint  for  twenty  years,  yet  I 
myself,  in  the  exercises  of  my  mind  and  my  heart, 
have  been  free.  I  can  remember  the  time  when  bodily 
liberty  would  have  been  regarded  as  the  greatest  boon, 


THE  MYSTERY  OF  THE  WOODS.  211 

and  imprisonment  as  an  infliction  which  included  all 
woes.  But  now,  having  lost  the  sympathies  which 
come  from  association  with  my  kind,  and  that  interest 
in  human  affairs  which  can  only  be  felt  by  one  who 
mingles  as  an  actor  amid  them,  and  having  no  one  on 
earth  to  love,  my  imprisonment  has  become  so  adjusted 
to  my  moods,  and,  even,  my  employments,  that  it  does 
not  jar  on  the  one  or  interrupt  the  other.  I  remember 
my  life  as  a  thing  of  the  past,  and  my  memory  of  it  is 
as  the  memory  of  one  who  for  twenty  years  has  been 
dead.  But  the  efforts  of  yourself  and  your  companions 
were  nobly  directed ;  and  though  rather  by  accident 
than  design  they  resulted  in  my  deliverance,  I  recog- 
nize the  generosity  of  your  spirit  and  the  friendliness 
of  your  sentiment,  and  I  make  my  grateful  acknowl- 
edgment to  each  of  you;"  and  the  stranger  bowed 
with  a  noble  inclination  of  his  head  to  each  of  his 
deliverers.  "  And  now,"  he  continued,  "  if  it  be  your 
pleasure,  I  will  join  you  at  your  meal."  Then  he 
added,  "  It  is  the  first  meal  I  have  eaten  in  company  of 
my  kind  for  twenty  years." 

"  I  have  seed  many  men  who  had  been  in  affliction," 
said  the  Trapper,  as  they  seated  themselves  at  the 
.table,  "  but  I  never  seed  a  man  afore  who  could  say, 
speakin'  with  truth,  what  ye  have  said,  friend.  And 
though  it  be  fur  from  me  to  ax  ye  any  questions  that 
I  ought  not  to  ax,  yit  I  sartinly  would  like  to  know 
what  ye  have  did  that  would  bring  upon  ye  the  life  ye 
have  led." 

"Your  curiosity  is  natural,  old  Trapper,  for  so  I 


212  ADIRONDACK  TALES. 

judge  you  to  be,"  answered  the  man,  "  and  in  repl}  I 
would  say  that  the  history  of  my  life,  if  narrated, 
would  fill  you  with  wonder.  I  have  moved  in  many 
scenes,"  continued  the  man,  speaking  reflectively,  "  and 
visited  many  climes.  I  have  been  the  companion  of 
the  great ;  have  shared  their  love,  and  been  the  object 
of  their  envy.  The  story  is  too  long,  if  I  were  inclined 
to  tell  it,  to  be  told  under  the  circumstances  which 
attend  our  meeting  at  this  table.  I  judge,  moreover, 
by  what  you  have  said,  that  you  are  engaged  in 
searching  for  one  who,  like  myself,  was  a  captive ; 
and,  unlike  myself,  is  a  captive  still.  It  may  be  that 
I  shall  be  able  to  help  you,"  and  the  man  looked 
steadily  at  the  Trapper. 

"  I've  thought  of  that,"  said  the  Trapper  in  reply ; 
"  and  it  may  be,  ef  ye  will  answer  a  few  questions,  ye 
can  help  us  in  our  endeavors.  We  be  lookin'  for  a  girl 
that  has  been  stolen  from  her  home ;  and  Mr.  Carson 
here,  who  was  follerin'  her  trail,  is  sartin  that  the 
vagabonds  that  had  her  was  with  the  vagabonds  that 
had  you,  on  til  they  struck  the  Racquette  where  the 
crick  without  a  stun  enters  it." 

"There  are  things  which  confirm  your  judgment," 
answered  the  man ;  "  for  though  I  was  kept  closely 
hidden  from  the  members  of  the  party  even,  so  that 
my  face  and  even  my  form,  while  we  were  journeying, 
was  never  seen,  and  so  that  I  could  never  see  any  but 
my  immediate  keeper;  yet  I  judged  by  sounds  that 
the  party  was  larger  until  we  came  to  a  certain  point 
than  it  was  afterwards.  There  is  no  doubt  but  that 


THE  MYSTERY  OF  THE  WOODS.  213 

the  party  divided ;  and  the  point  at  which  they  divided 
was  distant  from  this  camp  less  than  a  day's  voyaging." 

"It  is  as  I  conceited,  Henry,"  responded  the  Trap- 
per, looking  at  Herbert.  "  Yis,  it  sartinly  is  as 
I  conceited;  the  party  divided  at  the  p'int  that  I 
mentioned,  and  them  that  had  the  girl  went  down 
stream,  and  them  that  had  our  friend  here  came  up 
stream.  And  now  I  will  ax  ye,  friend,  ef  there  was 
any  sounds  that  come  to  yer  ear  as  ye  journeyed  which 
led  ye  to  suspect  that  the  one  who  was  yer  feller 
captive  was  a  woman  ?  " 

"  Your  suspicions  are  undoubtedly  correct,"  answered 
the  man ;  "  for  though,  as  I  said,  I  was  not  permitted 
to  see  or  be  seen,  yet  my  ears  were  not  bandaged,  and 
more  than  once  did  I  hear  the  rustling  of  a  woman's 
dress  and  the  light  step  of  a  woman  on  the  Carry  and 
in  entering  the  boat.  I  have  no  doubt  that  my  fellow 
captive  was  a  woman ;  and  I  trust  that  He  who  has 
brought  you  to  my  deliverance,  who  needed  it  not,  may 
in  His  infinite  mercy  direct  you  to  accomplish  the  same 
for  her  who  needs  it  even  as  one  of  her  sex  needs  help 
in  dire  extremity. 

"Friend,"  replied  the  Trapper,  "I  have  passed  my 
life  on  the  trail,  and  I  have  sarched  for  many  that 
needed  to  be  found ;  and  many  of  them  I've  sarched 
for  I've  diskivered.  The  woman,  the  sound  of  whose 
dress  and  step  ye  heerd,  was  a  girl ;  and  the  girl  was 
in  the  hands  of  her  inimies.  And  Mr.  Carson,  here, 
feels  that  her  inimies  was  plottin'  her  death;  we 
sartinly  thought  she  was  in  this  tent,  but  she  was  not. 


214  ADIRONDACK  TALES. 

We  sartinly  thought  we  had  found  her  ;  but  we've  not 
found  her.  And  the  sarch  which  we  thought  was 
ended  we  must  take  up  ag'in ;  for  the  girl  must  be 
found,  ef  the  trail  of  our  sarchin'  runs  into  the  snow 
of  the  winter. 

"And  now,  Mr.  Carson,"  continued  the  Trapper, 
"  the  plan  we  should  foller  be  parfectly  plain.  Ye  be 
an  officer  of  the  law,  and  the  vagabonds  ye  have 
captured  must  be  delivered  to  them  that  have  author- 
ity to  punish.  Ye  must  take  them  to-morrer  mornin', 
and  start  for  the  North.  James  will  go  with  ye,  and 
help  ye  to  guard  them  on  the  way.  As  the  boy  come 
in  on  business,  and  has  had  leetle  chance  to  do  any 
tradin'  and  has  a  nateral  eye  for  gain;  and  furder- 
more,  as  he  has  sartinly  done  good  sarvice  in  the 
interest  of  the  law,  I  advise  that  ye  see  that  he  be  not 
a  loser  for  the  time  he  has  spent  with  us,  and  what  he 
has  did.  I  shall  sartinly  remember  him  myself  ef  the 
trappin'  be  reasonably  good  this  winter.  The  night  he 
came  to  me  in  the  cabin  was  an  onusually  lively  one, 
and  the  boy  acted  accordin'  to  his  gifts;  and  whether 
I  be  able  to  send  him  leetle  or  much,  he  will  know 
that  an  old  man  that  he  helped  in  a  scrimmage  when 
the  numbers  was  agin  him,  will  remember  the  help  he 
did  him  while  he  lives.  So  it's  settled  that  you  and 
James  start  North  with  the  vagabonds  to-morrer. 
Afore  ye  go  ye  will  bury  the  body  that  lies  in  the 
cabin  by  the  edge  of  the  balsam  thicket  where  he  fell 
There  be  some  things  that  he  left  me  to  do  that  must 
wait  till  the  girl  be  found.  I  conceit  that  our  friend 


THE  MYSTERY  OF  THE   WOODS.  215 

here  will  wish  to  stay  in  the  tent  where  we  found  him. 
It's  sartinly  comfortable,  and  the  pervisions  for  his 
livin'  ye  can  see  is  enough.  The  pups  will  stay  at  the 
cabin  and  keep  house.  When  hunger  pinches  'em  they 
will  sartinly  come  to  this  p'int;  for  the  dogs  be  knowin' 
dogs,  and  they'll  see  by  the  smoke  of  yer  fire,  friend, 
that  a  human  bein'  is  here,  and  that'll  tell  'em  where 
they'll  find  food.  Ye'll  feed 'em  when  they  come?" 

"  I  certainly  will,"  responded  the  man.  "  The  dogs 
shall  be  well  fed." 

"Don't  overfeed  'em,"  returned  the  Trapper;  "no, 
don't  overfeed  'em ;  for  a  hound  should  be  gant  to 
run  well ;  and  ef  Henry  and  me  be  fortinit  in  findin' 
the  girl,  and  git  back  in  time,  the  pups  must  do  some 
runnin'.  And  now  as  we  have  done  with  the  eatin', 
and  the  plans  be  fixed,  Henry  and  me  might  as  well 
be  goin',  for  the  sun  be  down  and  the  darkness  be 
comin'  on.  Come  straight  to  the  cabin,  Mr.  Carson, 
when  ye  come  back,  and  wait  for  our  comin'.  I 
conceit  a  good  deal  lies  atween  our  partin'  and  our 
meetin'. 

After  a  few  moments  spent  in  exchanging  farewells, 
the  Trapper  and  Herbert  entered  their  boat,  and  shoved 
off  into  the  lake.  The  parting  was  of  a  character  not 
easily  to  be  forgotten  by  those  who  remained,  or  the 
two  that  went. 

"  Mr.  Carson,"  said  the  Trapper,  as  he  turned  him- 
self about  in  the  boat  where  he  sat,  paddle  in  hand, 
"'have  ye  anything  more  to  say?" 

"Nothing,"  answered  the  detective,  with  a  voice 


216  ADIRONDACK  TALES. 

that  shook  a  trifle,  "only  this:  Will  the  girl  be 
found?" 

"  The  girl  will  be  found,"  answered  the  Trapper. 
And  as  he  spoke  he  swept  his  paddle  into  the  water. 
He  took  three  strokes  and  stopped.  Henry,  who  was 
at  the  oars,  imitated  his  example,  and,  as  the  boat 
glided  out  into  the  darkness,  the  Trapper  turned  again 
in  his  seat,  and,  with  a  voice  that  slightly  trembled  in 
turn,  said,  —  "Friend,  take  good  care  of  the  pups." 

And  then  the  boat  resumed  its  course. 


THE  MYSTERY  OF  THE   WOODS.  217 


CHAPTER  XV. 

THE  search  for  the  girl  had  begun.  Would  she  be 
found  ? 

It  was  the  morning  of  the  third  day  after  the  Trap- 
per and  Herbert  had  left  the  Point  on  which  was  the 
camp  of  the  outlaws,  as  narrated  in  the  last  chapter, 
when  they  might  have  been  seen  at  breakfast  on  Toma- 
hawk Point.  They  were  eating  heartily,  as  men  hi 
the  woods  eat  after  exhaustive  labor.  It  was  evident 
from  their  appearance  that  they  had  pushed  the  search 
with  the  greatest  vigor ;  for  their  faces  had  the  look  of 
men  who  had  slept  but  little,  and  whose  bodies  had 
been  taxed  in  toil. 

"  I  tell  ye,  Henry,"  said  the  Trapper,  "  we  made  a 
mistake  when  we  followed  the  current  below  the  Falls ; 
and  we've  lost  two  good  days,  not  to  speak  of  the 
nights,  by  our  blunder.  I  can't  say  that  I  blame  my- 
self ;  for  the  water  leaves  no  trail,  and  the  knowledge 
of  man,  onless  there  be  some  sign,  is  foolishness ;  and 
I  sartinly  conceited  that  the  vagabonds,  not  knowin' 
the  water-courses,  would  naterally  foller  the  stream. 
But  they  didn't ;  for  we've  covered  good  two  hundred 
mile  sence  we  passed  the  foot  of  the  lake  on  the  way 
down,  and  not  a  track  on  the  carries  or  a  charred  stick 
have  we  seed ;  and  the  Lord  knows  that  there  isn't 
three  boats  in  the  woods  that  would  have  gone  down 


218  ADIRONDACK  TALES. 

the  Falls  without  walkin'  ;  and  men  must  eat,  even  if 
they  be  in  their  devilment ;  and  eatin'  in  the  woods 
means  fire,  and  not  a  match  has  been  lighted  on  the 
lower  Racquette  in  the  last  week,  as  I  would  swear  be- 
fore a  jedge  in  a  schoolhouse.  No :  the  girl  sartinly 
wasn't  left  on  the  lower  Racquette,  nor  on  any  of  the 
streams  that  lead  into  it ;  and  we  did  well  to  turn  back 
when  we  did." 

"I  agree  with  you,  John  Norton,"  answered  the 
young  man ;  "  and  I  certainly  thought  that  we  should 
have  turned  back  a  day  sooner,  but  "  — 

"  It  may  be ;  it  may  be,  boy,"  answered  the  Trapper. 
"  It  may  be  I  was  wrong  in  pushin'  the  trail  so  long  in 
the  direction  I  did ;  but  a  thing  to  be  done  well  must 
be  done  thorough,  and  I  said  to  myself,  '  The  girl 
sha'n't  be  behind  me  when  I  turn  back.'  We  sartinly 
haven't  wasted  any  time  sence  we  struck  back  on  the 
heel  of  the  track.  I  never  seed  a  man  pull  sixty  mile 
agin  a  current  with  the  stroke  ye  have  pulled,  boy; 
and  I  know  how  yer  back  feels." 

"  I  will  admit  that  I  feel  a  little  stiff,"  answered  the 
young  man,  "and  the  muscles  around  the  shoulder 
sockets  feel  as  if  they  had  been  pounded  with  a  ham- 
mer ;  but  I  felt  that  we  had  been  going  the  wrong  way, 
and  the  sooner  we  got  back  for  a  new  start,  the  better 
it  would  be  for  the  girl." 

"  I  knowed  how  ye  felt,  boy,"  answered  the  Trapper, 
"  and  I  didn't  say  a  word,  though  ye  pulled  a  murderin' 
stroke ;  and  I  sartinly  laid  myself  on  to  the  paddle  as 
heavily  as  I  conceited  was  jedicious,  considerin'  the 


THE  MYSTERY  OF  THE    WOODS.  219 

length  of  the  staff  and  the  width  of  the  blade.  Look, 
Henry,  and  see  the  sun  comin'  up  from  behind  the 
eastern  range  there.  Di4  ye  ever  see  a  redder  cloud, 
or  a  brighter  line  of  fire  ?  It  sartinly  looks  as  ef  the 
Almighty  was  wavin'  a  torch  with  the  sweep  of  his 
own  hand  through  the  tops  of  the  pines." 

The  young  man  turned  his  eyes  toward  the  east  in 
silence,  and  contemplated  a  moment  the  splendid  spec- 
tacle of  the  morning.  He  was  still  gazing  at  the  kin- 
dling glory,  when  the  old  Trapper  resumed,  — 

"  The  beauty  of  the  day  be  one,  and  the  beauty  of 
the  night  be  another,  Henry.  The  Book  says,  that  in 
the  country  where  the  Lord  himself  lives,  they  will  need 
no  light  of  the  sun,  nor  of  the  moon  neither,  for  that 
matter,  for  He  himself  giveth  them  light.  It  may  be 
that  the  Scriptur'  is  right ;  and  ef  the  words  be  writ  in 
truth,  and  there  be  no  mistake  in  the  calculatin',  I  dare 
say  it  is  right.  But  it  sartinly  seems  to  me  that  it 
would  be  a  leetle  dull  and  over-regular  like  ef  there 
shouldn't  be  any  day  nor  night,  nor  any  mornin'  and 
evenin'  ;  for  the  changes  of  natur'  be  pleasant  to  look 
upon,  and  I  must  say  that  I  should  be  a  leetle  out  of 
reckonin'  as  to  time  ef  it  wasn't  for  the  sun  and  the 
moon ;  and  the  stars  be  handy,  too,  in  their  risin'  and 
their  settin',  ef  ye  are  out  on  the  water,  and  have  any 
app'intment  at  the  camp ;  and  there  is  another  diffi- 
culty about  eatin'  and  sleepin';  and  how  could  the  meals 
be  got,  onless  ye  had  somethin'  to  help  ye  fix  the  hour, 
or  was  mightily  exact  in  yer  habits  ?  " 

"  Some  think,"  answered  the  young  man,  interrupt- 


220  ADIRONDACK  TALES. 

ing  his  companion,  "that  there  will  be  no  eating  or 
sleeping  there ;  but  that  everybody  will  live  with- 
out"— 

"Henry,"  interrupted  the  old  Trapper  in  return, 
"Henry,  ye  sartinly  be  too  wise  to  believe  any  sech 
silliness :  eatin'  and  sleepin'  be  in  the  order  of  natur', 
and  it's  onnateral  to  go  without  'em.  The  better  the 
place  and  the  happier  ye  be,  the  more  'arnest  is  the 
appetite,  and  the  sweeter  be  the  sleep.  The  sorrowful 
eat  leetle ;  and  them  that  be  grievin'  know  leetle  of 
slumber.  It's  sartinly  foolish  to  suppose  that  the 
things  that  be  nateral  to  the  body  here,  won't  be 
nateral  to  the  body  there.  Be  I  right,  boy,  in  this  ?  " 

"  They  say,"  responded  the  young  man,  "  that  is, 
some  say,  that  in  the  spirit  world,  people  have  no 
bodies  at  all." 

"  Henry,  ye  be  sartinly  crazy  !  I  mean  they  be  crazy 
that  talk  in  that  way.  Bodies  !  How  can  there  be  any 
people  without  bodies  ?  and  how  shall  we  know  each 
other  ?  How  be  ye  and  me  and  the  Lad  to  consort 
together  onless  we  can  see  each  other ;  and  what  about 
the  pups  —  yis,  Henry,  what  about  the  pups  ?  There 
sartinly  must  be  eatin'  and  sleepin',  ef  the  dogs  is  to  be 
round ;  and  ye  sartinly  can't  conceit  that  any  spot 
would  be  homelike  and  rational  to  live  in,  to  a  man  of 
my  natur'  and  habits,  onless  the  dogs  be  in  the  cabin." 

"  It  may  be  you  are  right,  John  Norton,"  answered 
the  young  man,  smiling ;  "  I  am  only  telling  you  what 
some  people  think.  I  don't  say  they  are  right  in  their 
thinking.  They  have  their  ideas  of  heaven,  and  you 


THE  MYSTERY  OF  THE  WOODS.  221 

have  yours.  What  sort  of  a  place  do  you  think  heaven 
will  be,  John  Norton  ?  " 

"Henry,"  answered  the  Trapper,  "I've  thought  a 
good  deal  of  that ;  yis,  I've  thought  a  good  deal  of  that. 
Ye  see  I'm  gittin'  on  in  years,  and  though  I  don't  con- 
ceit I've  come  to  the  eend  of  the  trail,  yit,  still  I'm 
gittin'  on  that  way ;  and,  as  ye  have  axed  me  the  ques- 
tion, I'll  answer  it  jest  as  I  feel.  I  don't  conceit  that 
heaven  is  very  onlike  the  'arth.  It  can't  be  much  prit- 
tier"  —  and  the  old  man  paused  a  moment,  and  gazed 
off  upon  the  level  surface  of  the  lake,  which  as  yet 
knew  no  ripple,  for  the  morning  wind  had  not 
begun  to  blow,  and  the  great  mountains  were  reflected 
in  the  still  depths,  from  base  to  summit;  and  then 
he  lifted  his  eyes  till  his  vision  commanded  the  eastern 
sky,  now  all  aglow  with  the  morning  light.  Long 
and  earnestly  he  gazed  as  one  gazes  at  a  spectacle 
too  lovely  and  majestic  to  be  lightly  admired ;  and 
then  he  turned  his  eyes  upon  his  companion,  and  said, 
while  he  swept  his  hand  outward  with  the  most 
natural  of  gestures,  "Henry,  this  be  heaven,  ef  the 
lad  and  the  pups  was  here,  and  the  girl  was  found, 
and  the  vagabonds  was  within  easy  range." 

The  young  man  laughed  long  and  heartily. 

"Ye  be  pleased,  boy,"  continued  the  Trapper;  "ye 
be  pleased  at  the  conceit  of  an  old  man ;  and  I  dare 
say  my  words  seem  foolish  to  ye;  but  they  be  the 
words  of  my  heart.  And  I  be  glad  to  hear  ye  laugh ; 
for  though  we  be  on  'arnest  work,  and  a  life  be  in 
jeopardy,  it  may  be,  yit  the  laugh  of  the  innercent 


222  ADIRONDACK  TALES. 

never  hinders  their  workin'.  And  I  say  ag'in,  ef  the 
Lad  and  the  pups  was  here,  and  the  girl  was  found, 
and  the  vagabonds  was  in  easy  range,  and  the  Lord 
didn't  interfere,  but  let  things  happen  as  they  nater- 
ally  would  happen,  this  would  be  heaven.  Least- 
wise "  — 

He  stopped  —  stopped  suddenly,  with  an  involuntary 
movement  of  his  hand  towards  the  rifle  that  lay  at  his 
side  —  stopped,  because  of  a  look  that  had  come  to  his 
companion's  eyes  as  he  was  speaking. 

"What  is  it,  boy?  What  is  it?"  he  said  in  a 
whisper. 

The  young  man  simply  lifted  his  hand,  and  pointed 
with  his  finger  toward  a  clump  of  bushes  that  stood  on 
the  shore  of  the  lake. 

"  Henry,"  said  the  Trapper,  as  his  eye  followed  the 
direction  of  the  movement,  "  yer  eye  be  of  the  best, 
and  yer  senses  be  onlike  the  senses  of  most ;  for  they 
be  separate.  For  ye  look  as  ye  eat,  and  yer  eatin' 
stops  not  yer  seein'.  It  be  but  a  thread,  but  sech  a 
thread  as  never  growed  on  a  bush.  Let  us  see  what  it 
is,"  and  in  a  moment  the  two  men  were  standing  by 
the  bush. 

A  thread.  Nothing  but  a  thread.  A  brown  thread. 
A  fragment  from  the  fringe  of  a  shawl  blown  by  the 
winds,  perhaps,  to  the  twig  whence  it  hung. 

For  a  minute  the  two  men  stood  side  by  side,  looking 
at  the  fragment  of  woollen  yarn,  and  then  their  eyes 
involuntarily  met,  and  the  Trapper  said,  — 

"  Henry,  the  girl  has  been  on  this  p'int." 


THE  MYSTERY  OF  THE   WOODS.  223 

And  then  the  two  set  themselves  to  their  work. 
Foot  by  foot  they  canvassed  the  ground ;  they  literally 
crept  over  it.  Not  a  pine  cone,  not  a  broken  stick,  not 
a  twig  escaped  their  eyes.  They  circled  the  shore. 
Every  stone  was  studied ;  every  pebble  inspected.  Not 
another  sign;  not  another  trace,  that  the  point  had 
been  visited,  could  they  discover.  Not  till  they  had 
returned  to  the  spot  they  had  left  was  a  word  spoken 
by  either ;  then  the  Trapper  said,  — 

"  'Twas  the  wind  that  did  it,  Henry.  Yis,  'twas  the 
wind  of  the  Lord  that  did  it.  The  vagabonds  started 
to  land  on  this  p'int,  but  the  knaves  didn't  land.  They 
was  afeared,  in  their  devilment,  to  stop  in  so  open  a 
place ;  but  they  passed  nigh  the  p'int.  The  wind 
was  blowin'  here  from  the  east ;  in  passin',  the  girl 
lifted  her  shawl,  and  the  winds  blew  this  thread  from 
her  garments,  and  yer  eyes  seed  the  sign  that  the  Lord, 
in  his  marcy,  caused  to  be  left.  We  be  on  the  trail  at 
last." 

"  Where  were  they  going  ?  " 

"  They  was  goin'  to  the  south,"  answered  the  Trap- 
per, "  and  the  half-breed's  cunnin'  is  here ;  yis,  the 
half-breed  come  with  'em  to  this  lake,  and  that  is  why 
they  didn't  keep  the  current  of  the  stream  down ;  for 
the  outlet  of  the  lake  to  the  river  be  a  blind  un,  and 
no  common  eye  could  have  seed  it.  Yis,  the  vagabonds 
has  gone  to  the  south ;  and  it  may  be  they'll  come  back 
from  the  south,  and  the  girl,  ef  she  be  livin',  and  her 
body,  ef  she  be  dead,  be  off  here  to  the  south,  and  we 
must  be  goin'." 


224  ADIRONDACK  TALES. 

In  a  few  moments  the  two  men  had  collected  the 
fragments  of  food  that  were  left,  and  the  few  cooking 
utensils,  and  were  standing  beside  their  boat.  Henry 
took  his  seat  at  the  oars.  But,  as  the  Trapper  was 
about  to  push  it  from  the  beach,  he  paused,  and  said,  — 

"  The  thread,  Henry.  We  had  better  take  the 
thread." 

"  I  have  it  here,"  answered  the  young  man.  And  he 
took  it  from  his  pocket  where  he  had  carefully  placed  it. 

"  It's  a  great  comfort  to  scout  with  ye,  Henry,"  said 
the  Trapper,  as  he  pushed  the  boat  from  shore.  "  Yis, 
it's  a  great  comfort  to  scout  with  a  man  who  has  the 
nateral  gift.  Ye  have  the  thread,  and  we'll  find  the 
footprint  of  her  from  whose  garment  'twas  blowed,  on 
the  carry  by  the  falls  yonder.  Lengthen  yer  stroke, 
boy,  for  I  long  to  be  on  the  ledge." 

They  reached  the  ledge  where  the  water  of  the  river 
above  tumbles  over  into  the  lake,  —  tumbles  over  nois- 
ily, white  as  seething  water  may  be,  and  with  a  roar 
which  sounds  miles  away.  They  reached  the  ledge,  and 
landed,  —  landed  carefully,  and  stood  side  by  side. 

"  Keerful,  Henry,"  said  the  Trapper ;  "  keerful  now. 
Even  the  moss  must  be  eyed.  Keerful,  boy ;  inch  by 
inch.  Days  have  come  and  gone  sence  they  was  here ; 
but  here  they  was,  and  here"  — 

The  Trapper's  finger  closed  on  the  arm  of  his  com- 
panion with  a  sudden  grip.  The  finger  of  the  other 
hand  pointed  to  a  little  collection  of  sand  that  the 
winds  had  whirled  into  a  slight  hollow  in  the  rock. 
Well  might  he  check  his  companion;  well  might  his 


THE  MYSTERY  OF  THE   WOODS.  225 

finger  point  to  the  indentation  in  the  ledge  ;  for  there, 
in  the  little  circle  of  sand,  scarcely  larger  than  the  foot 
itself,  was  the  plain  outline  of  a  small  shoe. 

"  God  in  his  marcy  be  praised!  "  ejaculated  the  Trap- 
per, as  he  loosed  his  hold  on  his  companion's  arm,  and 
lowered  himself  on  his  knees  to  inspect  the  footprint 
more  closely ;  "  that  be  a  sign  that  cannot  lie,  and  the 
girl  has  been  on  the  ledge.  Here  be  the  beginnin'  of 
the  trail ;  and  the  two  that  stand  at  the  beginnin'  will 
find  the  eend." 

"  What  shall  we  find  at  the  end,  John  Norton  ? " 

"  There  be  One  who  knows,"  said  the  Trapper  rever- 
ently. Then  he  added,  "  At  the  eend  of  the  trail  we 
shall  find  the  girl  or  —  the  girl's  body." 

A  thorough  examination  of  the  ridge  which  lay 
between  the  lake  and  the  river  above  the  falls  was 
made.  It  was  by  no  means  fruitless.  The  passage  of 
time  and  the  rains  that  had  fallen  had  done  much  to 
obliterate  the  footprints ;  but  to  eyes  trained  as  were 
those  that  were  searching  the  ground,  many  evidences 
remained  of  so  strong  a  character  as  to  justify  a  posi- 
tive conclusion.  It  was  not  till  the  inspection  had 
covered  every  square  foot  of  ground,  and  the  least  sign 
that  remained  had  been  closely  examined,  that  a  word 
was  spoken ;  but  at  last  the  Trapper  drew  himself  up 
from  the  stooping  posture  which  his  examination  of  the 
trail  had  compelled  him  to  assume,  and  said,  — 

"  Henry,  the  whole  story  be  writ  here  in  the  sand, 
and  the  grass,  and  the  moss,  as  plain  as  readin'  in  a 
book.  The  vagabonds  has  passed  up,  and  the  vaga- 


226  ADIRONDACK  TALES. 

bonds  has  gone  down ;  for  here  be  their  tracks.  The 
girl  went  up  with  'em,  but  the  girl  wasn't  with  'em 
when  they  come  back.  For  the  signs  of  her  goin'  up 
be  many,  and  sech  as  don't  lie ;  but  there  be  not  a 
single  sign  of  her  goin'  down.  The  girl,  therefore,  be 
up  here  to  the  south,  and  the  vagabonds,  by  this  time, 
be  in  the  settlements  of  the  north.  They've  did  their 
devilment,  and  got  off.  I'm  sorry  to  say  it ;  for  I  built 
a  good  deal  on  ambushin'  the  knaves  —  leastwise,  of 
gittin'  them  within  range  of  our  lead ;  and  it  does  look 
as  ef  the  Lord  had  made  a  mistake.  But  it  may  be 
he'll  fix  another  app'intment  atween  us,  and  so  we'll 
let  that  matter  go.  Ef  he  don't,  there's  been  some- 
thin'  wrong  in  our  calculating  or  there's  been  somethin' 
wrong  in  his ;  for  I  know  every  foot  of  the  ground,  as 
I  scrimmaged  over  most  of  it  forty  years  agone,  and  I 
could  have  fixed  an  ambushment  for  the  knaves  that 
would  have  been  jest  as  good  as  Jedgment  Day.  Yis, 
I  sartinly  feel  that  somebody  has  blundered.  But  the 
girl  be  to  the  south,  and  she  must  be  found.  And 
now,  as  we  be  in  council,  I  ax  ye  ef  ye've  any  idees  to 
offer  on  the  p'int  ? " 

"  I  think,  as  you  say,"  answered  the  young  man, 
"  that  the  villains  have  come  and  gone.  We  are  too 
late  to  punish  them.  I  regret  it  chiefly  because,  had 
we  met  them,  we  might  have  found  out "  — 

"  That's  it,  boy,"  interrupted  the  Trapper,  "  that's 
it ;  ef  we  could  have  ambushed  the  villains,  we'd  got 
the  whole  story  out  of  'em ;  for  nothin'  makes  a  man 
who  is  on  some  devilment  talk,  like  the  muzzle  of  a 


THE  MYSTERY  OF  THE   WOODS.  227 

rifle,  especially  ef  the  piece  be  held  right,  and  the  man 
back  of  the  piece  looks  as  ef  he  was  in  'arnest.  Lord, 
how  many  things  I've  found  out  in  that  way !  Did  I 
ever  tell  ye  the  story  of  the  chap  who  fired  my  shanty 
on  the  head  waters  of  the  St.  Regis  once  ?  " 

"  I  don't  remember  as  you  did,"  answered  Henry, 
somewhat  impatiently ;  "  and  I  don't  know  what  good 
the  story  would  do  us  now." 

"  Hoot !  "  responded  the  Trapper ;  "  ye  be  too  eager, 
boy.  A  leetle  talkin'  helps  the  thinkin',  as  I  conceit, 
when  ye  be  on  a  trail,  and  the  trail  be  a  blind  un.  A 
hound  wouldn't  work  up  a  cold  scent  ef  ye  muzzled 
him,  Henry.  He  works  better  ef  he  gives  voice  off 
and  on.  I've  often  conceited,  as  I've  seed  Rover 
nosin'  round  where  water  was  plenty,  that  it  helped 
him  to  hear  his  own  cry  in'.  But  we  won't  quarrel 
over  the  matter ;  I'll  tell  ye  the  story  some  other  time. 
The  scamp  fired  my  shanty  ;  but  he  fired  it  a  leetle  too 
late,  for  I  was  in  sight  when  the  bark  began  to  blaze ; 
and  a  leetle  lively  movement  got  me  within  range,  and 
I  drawed  on  the  vagabond  as  he  plunged  into  the 
swamp.  He  waited  for  me  arter  that,  and  it  took 
me  a  week,  with  the  splints  and  the  yarbs,  afore  I  got 
him  on  his  legs  ag'in.  You  see,  the  sight  of  the  blaz- 
ing bark  which  I  had  peeled  with  my  own  hands,  and 
slept  under  many  a  night,  riled  me  a  leetle,  and  I 
sighted  a  good  deal  in  'arnest.  But  I'll  tell  ye  the 
story  some  other  time.  But  I  axed  ye  about  the  girl 
—  and  what  be  yer  idees  in  the  matter  ?  " 

"  I  think,"  answered  the  young  man,  "  we  must  fol- 


228  ADIRONDACK  TALES. 

low  up  stream.  Is  the  river  one  ?  or  does  it  divide 
above,  somewhere?" 

"  It  splits  a  mile  above  here,"  answered  the  Trapper, 
"  and  part  turns  to  the  right,  and  part  to  the  left." 

"  Is  it  good  boating  to  the  right  ?  "  asked  the  young 
man. 

"It's  the  devil's  own  stream,  Henry,"  answered  the 
Trapper.  "  I've  trapped  on  it  for  twenty  year,  and 
many  be  the  mink  and  the  otter  I've  taken  on  its 
banks.  But  the  channel  be  rocky  and  the  water  be 
swift,  and  there's  a  good  deal  more  wadin'  than  boatin' 
on  the  branch  that  turns  to  the  right  above  the  p'int 
where  the  river  splits.  I  don't  conceit  that  the  knaves 
would  go  fur  in  that  direction." 

"  How  is  it  with  the  part  that  turns  to  the  left  ?  Is 
that  easier  ?  " 

"Sartinly,  sartinly,"  answered  the  Trapper.  "It  be 
easier  because  trampin'  is  easier  than  wadin',  and  ye've 
got  to  fetch  several  carries  afore  ye  come  to  the  fust 
lake  bey  end." 

"  I  think  they  went  to  the  left,  John  Norton.  At 
this  point  the  half-breed  left  them ;  and  beyond  this 
point  they  had  no  guide,  and  they  would  naturally 
take  the  easiest  and  plainest  course.  We  shall  find 
the  trail  to  the  left." 

"  Ye  sartinly  speak  jedgmatically,  Henry,"  responded 
the  Trapper ;  "  and  ef  they  did  turn  to  the  left,  we 
shall  sight  the  footprints  of  the  knaves  at  the  foot  of 
the  rapids,  where  they  took  to  the  banks." 

"  Let's  be  going,  then,"  answered  Henry. 


THE  MYSTERY  OF  THE  WOODS.  229 

In  a  few  minutes  the  two  were  pushing  up  the  stream. 

At  the  foot  of  the  rapids,  as  they  had  anticipated, 
the  trail  showed  itself  plainly  —  showed  that  three 
men  and  a  woman  had  passed  into  the  woods.  The 
Trapper  shouldered  the  boat,  and  Henry,  with  the 
rifles  and  the  pack,  and  his  eyes  on  the  trail,  pushed 
ahead.  The  sun  was  well  up,  and  the  woods  were 
sweltering.  Here  and  there  a  partridge  strutted 
across  the  trail,  and,  fluffing  up  on  to  some  fallen  tree 
stump,  craned  its  neck,  and  eyed  the  two  men  interrog- 
atively. The  roar  of  the  rapids,  as  the  water  tumbled 
on  in  its  downward  career,  sounded  solemnly  through 
the  woods.  The  morning  wind  had  died  of  heat,  and 
the  great  pine-tops  stood  unstirred,  with  their  shiny 
stems  glistening  in  the  light.  The  heat  penetrated  to 
the  very  core  of  their  branches,  and  gummy  sweat 
exuded  from  the  boughs,  and  dropped  in  fragrant  dew 
on  the  ferns  underneath ;  but  the  two  men  noticed 
not  the  appearances  of  Nature,  but  struggled  on :  the 
one  with  his  eyes  fastened  on  the  trail,  and  the  other 
laboring  under  the  boat.  An  hour  passed,  and,  panting 
with  their  exertion,  they  broke  at  last  through  the 
underbrush  that  lined  the  bank,  and  stood  on  the 
broad  beach  of  glistening  sand  that  curved  its  yellow 
border  around  the  northern  shore.  In  the  sand  the 
feet  of  the  party  —  the  trail  they  had  followed  so 
toilsomely  —  had  pressed,  leaving  many  unmistakable 
evidences  of  their  presence.  The  trail  of  the  boat  that 
they  had  drawn  out  of  the  water  on  their  return  could 
still  be  traced  on  the  beach.  They  felt  as  men  feel 


230  ADIRONDACK  TALES. 

who,  engaged  in  a  dubious  undertaking,  have  at  last 
reached  a  certainty. 

"  The  Lord  be  praised,  Henry,"  said  the  Trapper,  as 
he  looked  at  the  uneven  sands,  "  for  the  sight  that  my 
eyes  see ;  for  these  tracks  be  something  better  than  a 
thread  of  woollen  yarn  which  the  winds  have  blowed 
onto  a  bush.  The  girl  be  somewhere  to  the  south. 
The  knaves  wouldn't  stop  on  this  lake  :  it's  too  open, 
and  the  way  back  is  too  plain.  Push  the  boat  into  the 
water,  and  we'll  be  goin'." 

Henry  did  as  he  was  directed,  and  the  boat  was  soon 
passing  in  swift  career  over  the  lake.  Through  it  they 
passed,  and,  threading  their  way  through  a  dubious 
channel  at  the  other  extremity,  came  at  last  to  another 
lake,  —  came  into  it,  as  it  were,  with  a  flash ;  for,  a 
dozen  strokes  from  the  point  around  which,  passing 
with  the  sharpest  possible  curve,  it  entered  into  the 
wide,  smooth  surface,  Henry  himself  could  not  have 
guessed  that  any  lake  was  there.  So  sudden  was  the 
transition  from  the  narrow  to  the  wide  waters,  and  so 
unexpected  was  the  change  from  the  reedy  channel  into 
the  deep,  dark  depths,  that  the  young  man  involuntarily 
suspended  his  stroke,  and,  leaving  his  oars  at  a  trail, 
rose  in  the  boat,  and  stood  admiring  the  scene. 

A  lovelier  one  can  scarcely  be  found  in  all  the 
woods.  In  width  the  lake  is  scarcely  a  mile  at  any 
point ;  in  length  it  stretches  six.  On  the  eastern  side 
a  range  of  hills,  and  back  of  these  rise  the  great  mount- 
ains. The  shores  are  fringed  with  green  to  the  water's 
edge7  save  on  the  western  side,  where  the  waters  wash 


THE  MYSTERY  OF  THE   WOODS.  231 

long  stretches  of  smooth  pebbles  —  gray  and  brown  and 
blue  in  color  —  or  lave  the  sands  of  the  white  beaches, 
which  make  the  bright  curvatures  of  the  bays.  Half 
way  down  the  lake  a  point  stretches  from  the  western 
shore  far  out  into  the  water.  Great  pines  stand  on  it : 
pines  that  the  wind  loves,  and  which  love  the  wind  in 
turn.  The  ground  beneath  their  branches  is  stem- 
matted,  through  which,  here  and  there,  a  little  green 
shrub  grows  —  perhaps  a  white  or  blue  flower.  On  the 
northern  side,  where  the  point  runs  into  the  main  land, 
white  lilies,  in  their  season,  float  on  the  water,  whose 
waves,  rolling  in  the  shadow  of  the  pines,  toss  them  up 
and  down  as  black  nurses  toss  little  white  children, 
dressed  in  white.  On  the  southern  side  the  waves,  in- 
rolling  before  the  prevalent  southern  wind,  dash  noisily. 
At  times  their  wrath  whitens  the  shore. 

Up  the  lake  are  islands;  green  points  stretch  out- 
ward ;  white  beaches  shine ;  and  here  and  there  a  reach 
of  yellow  sand,  pounded  hard  and  smooth  by  the  waves, 
gleams  like  burnished  gold. 

"  John  Norton,"  exclaimed  the  young  man,  as  he 
stood  in  his  boat  inspecting  the  scene,  "  I've  been  un- 
fortunate in  not  seeing  this  lake  before.  Where  on 
the  earth  can  you  find  its  match?" 

"  It  be  the  Lord's  work,  for  sartin,  Henry,"  answered 
the  Trapper ;  "  and  I've  often  conceited  that  he  made 
it  specially  to  please  himself ;  for  it's  sort  of  finished 
up  from  eend  to  eend.  There  isn't  a  p'int,  nor  a 
bay.  nor  a  stretch  of  sand  that  isn't  put  hi  jest  where 
it  oughter  be;  and  the  pines  be  placed  jedgmati- 


232  ADIRONDACK  TALES. 

cally ;  and  the  leetle  bushes  stand  where  they  oughter 
stand." 

"  How  long  have  you  known  it  ?  "  asked  the  young 
man. 

"  Well,  it  must  be  nigh  on  to  forty  year  sence  I  fust 
wet  my  paddle  in  its  waters.  I  can't  say  that  I  made 
any  considerable  stay  on  it  in  my  fust  trip  through,  for 
I  got  into  a  leetle  trouble  with  a  gang  of  half-breeds 
that  I  run  agin  down  on  the  Grass  Ri  ver ;  and  as  our 
talkin'  didn't  help  the  difficulty  any,  and  they  was  sassy 
because  they  outnumbered  me,  I  conceited  that  we'd 
better  settle  it  some  other  way." 

"  What  happened  ?  "  asked  Henry. 

"  Well,  ye  see,"  answered  the  old  man,  a  little  hesi- 
tatingly, "  there  was  eleven  of  the  vagabonds  in  all, 
and  that  made  onreasonable  odds.  And  I  had  to  trust 
to  the  boat  and  the  paddle  to  sorter  even  the  thing  up." 

"You  don't  mean  to  say  that  they  chased  you 
through  this  lake,  John  Norton?" 

"I  shouldn't  wonder  ef  that  was  about  it,  Henry, 
though  it  isn't  pleasant  to  say  it ;  leastwise,  if  I  re- 
member—  you  see  it  is  a  long  time  agone  —  but  I 
remember  when  I  passed  the  P'int,  yender,  I  was  pull- 
ing considerable  of  a  stroke ;  and  there  was  three  boats 
within  reasonable  range  of  the  starn,  and  they  had  one 
man  in  each  boat  that  they  didn't  actally  need  at  the 
oars;  and  as  they  had  plenty  of  powder,  and  was 
mighty  free  in  barnin'  it,  it  seemed  to  me  jedicious  to 
be  gittin'  into  crookeder  water." 

It  was  impossible  for  the  young  man  not  to  laugh  at 


THE  MYSTERY  OF  THE  WOODS.  £33 

the  quaint  fashion  in  which  the  old  Trapper  described 
one  of  the  most  spirited  passages  of  his  life.  And  he 
was  still  laughing  when  he  resumed  his  seat  at  the  oar. 

« I  don't  believe,"  said  the  Trapper,  after  a  moment 
of  silence,  « I  don't  believe  that  the  vagabonds  came 
into  this  lake,  and  didn't  land  on  that  Pint.  We'll 
land  ourselves,  Henry,  and  see  ef  we  can  larn  anything 
of  their  movements." 

They  landed,  and  learned  much  ;  more  than  they  had 
expected.  The  outlaws  had  not  only  been  on  the 
Point,  but  actually  camped  there. 

"The  knaves  actually  camped  here,  Henry!"  ex- 
claimed the  Trapper;  "and  I  sartinly  believe  that 
they  stayed  here  more'n  one  night.  For  the  weather 
was  warm,  and  they  couldn't  have  barnt  wood  enough 
in  one  night  to  have  made  that  pile  of  ashes.  Ef  I 
could  find  where  they  got  their  wood,  I  could  tell  with 
some  sartinty ;  for  the  choppin'  measures  the  stayin'. 
Go  and  bring  up  the  rules,  Henry,  and  we'll  fetch  a 
circuit  back  of  the  camp.  The  panthers  be  plenty  on 
this  lake,  and  the  weapons  may  be  handy." 

The  young  man  complied  with  his  request,  and  the 
two,  a  moment  after,  rifles  in  hand,  passed  into  the 
balsam  thicket  that  grew  in  separate  groves  amid 
the  heavy  timber.  They  were  pushing  on,  side  by  side, 
when  both  paused  and  looked  at  a  giant  spruce-tree 
that  they  were  passing,  the  bark  of  which  had  been 
stripped  into  shreds,  both  at  the  butt  and  then  again 
higher  up  than  a  man  could  reach. 

"  The  one  that  made  them  scars  on  the  bark,  Henry," 


234  ADIRONDACK  TALES. 

said  the  Trapper  in  a  whisper,  "  was  a  big  un ;  for  ye 
can  see  that  the  distance  atween  the  clawin's  of  his 
hind  feet  and  his  fore  be  longer  than  the  length  of  a 
man ;  and  the  clawin's  be  fresh,  and  ef  we  run  agin  the 
creetur',  Henry,  ye  must  put  yer  bullit  in  at  the  right 
spot ;  for  a  panther  be  an  ugly  creetur'  when  he  be 
wounded,  and  the  man  who  has  hurt  him  stands  within 
jumpin'  distance  of  him.  Easy,  boy,  easy,"  he  whis- 
pered, "  the  balsams  be  thick,  and  we  mustn't  run  agin 
him  onawares." 

They  had  not  gone  ten  paces  when  both  stopped  — 
stopped  an  instant ;  stopped  at  a  sound ;  and  the  sound 
was  the  sound  of  claws  rattling  on  the  bark  of  a  tree. 
The  tree  from  whence  the  sounds  proceeded  stood  at 
the  further  edge  of  the  thicket  through  which  they 
were  creeping,  not  twenty  feet  away. 

The  two  men  stopped.  Stopped  as  men  will  in  such 
circumstances ;  their  faces  tense ;  their  eyes  glowing ; 
their  forms  rigid ;  the  expression  of  their  pose  as  well 
as  their  features,  vital,  alert,  eager.  The  Trapper,  after 
an  instant's  pause,  pushed  the  muzzle  of  his  rifle  for- 
ward, and  gently  lifted  a  balsam  branch  that  obstructed 
their  sight.  The  result  proved  the  correctness  of  his 
calculation;  for,  looking  through  the  aperture  thus 
made,  the  dull  red  fur  of  the  panther  showed  plain  to 
sight ;  and  the  spot  thus  revealed  was  at  the  point 
where  the  neck  leaves  the  shoulder.  The  Trapper  put 
his  lips  to  the  ear  of  his  companion,  and  breathed, 
rather  than  whispered,  — 

"  Take  him  a  leetle  higher,  Henry.     When  ye  git 


THE  MYSTERY  OF  THE   WOODS.  235 

yer  eye  into  the  sights,  sarch  for  the  butt  of  the  ear, 

git  the  range  of  his  eye  ef  ye  can ;  but  the  ear  will  do. 
It's  yer  fust  panther,  boy,  and  don't  ye  make  a  mis- 
take." 

The  young  man  made  no  sign ;  but  the  stock  of  his 
rifle  came  to  his  cheek,  and  the  muzzle  began  to  rise. 
It  rose  truly  and  steadily  as  if  lifted  in  grooves ;  and 
then  the  eye  passed  into  the  sight,  and  the  barrel  stood 
as  motionless  as  if  frozen  into  the  body  of  the  air.  For 
a  moment  it  was  thus  held ;  but  no  report  followed. 
The  Trapper  stood  still  holding  the  balsam  branch 
aside,  waiting  for  the  explosion.  Then  he  saw  the 
muzzle  of  the  rifle  begin  to  waver  and  shake ;  then  it 
dropped  till  the  tubes  pointed  toward  the  earth ;  and 
as  in  astonishment,  he  withdrew  the  muzzle  of  his  own 
rifle  which  was  holding  up  the  balsam  branch,  and 
turned  his  face  toward  his  comrade.  The  eyes  of  the 
two  men  met,  —  the  face  of  the  Trapper  almost  wild 
with  interrogation,  and  the  face  of  Henry  white  as  the 
face  of  the  dead. 


236  ADIRONDACK  TALES. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

FOR  a  moment  neither  man  spoke.  They  stood 
looking  at  each  other  in  silence  in  the  tracks  where 
they  were  planted,  and  then  Herbert  ejaculated, — 

"  God  be  praised  !  " 

As  the  words  came  out  of  his  mouth,  he  seized  the 
Trapper  by  the  shoulder,  and,  with  a  motion  quick  and 
imperious,  dragged  him  through  the  balsam  branches 
directly  toward  the  tree  whence  the  sound  of  the 
scratching  had  proceeded.  The  distance  did  not  ex- 
ceed six  paces ;  and,  as  they  broke  through  the  bush, 
they  stood  face  to  face  with  a  —  man  !  and  the  man, 
from  some  freak  of  idiocy  or  insanity,  had  clothed  him- 
self from  head  to  foot,  even  to  the  tips  of  his  fingers 
and  down  to  his  eyes,  with  the  skin  of  a  panther ;  and 
the  idiotic  or  insane  creature  had  not  only  clothed  him- 
self in  a  panther's  skin,  but  was  actually  imitating  the 
habits  of  the  animal  whose  covering  he  had  taken  for 
his  own.  Nothing  but  his  face,  as  we  have  said, 
was  left  undisguised,  and  fortunate  for  him  it  was  that 
his  countenance  was  uncovered,  else  would  he  have 
paid  with  his  life  the  penalty  of  his  foolishness ;  for 
Henry,  when  he  passed  his  eyes  into  the  sights,  acting 
according  to  the  Trapper's  suggestion,  had  searched  for 
a  spot  as  high  up  as  the  butt  of  the  ear.  And  not  till 


THE  MYSTERY  OF  THE  WOODS.  237 

the  pressure  of  his  finger  on  the  trigger  had  become 
nearly  sufficient  to  explode  his  piece  did  he  discover 
that  it  was  the  face  of  a  human  being,  and  not  the  head 
of  an  animal,  on  which  he  was  drawing  his  bead. 

"  It  is  the  very  same  crittur,  Henry.  Yis,  it  be  the 
very  self-same  crittur  that  me  and  the  pups  tracked 
last  fall ;  and  once  did  the  hand  of  the  Lord  presarve 
him  from  my  bullit,  and  ag'in  has  the  hand  of  the 
Lord  presarved  him  from  yourn.  I  do  not  wonder, 
Henry,  that  yer  face  whitened,  for  yer  finger  must 
sartinly  have  been  heavy  on  the  trigger,  when  ye 
sighted  the  true  color  of  his  skin,  and  ye  come  nigh 
doin'  murder.  But  his  blood  would  have  been  on  his 
own  head  had  yer  eye  ben  less  keen,  and  yer  finger 
less  steddy ;  for  he  has  taken,  in  his  foolishness,  for  his 
coverin'  the  hide  of  an  animil  that  is  man's  nateral 
inimy ;  and  when  a  human  bein'  convarts  himself  into 
an  animil,  he  must  take  the  fortin'  of  an  animil,  so  "— • 

He  would  have  said  more,  but  the  terrible  creature— 
for  indeed  he  was  terrible  to  the  sight  —  who  had 
remained  clinging  to  the  tree,  suddenly  turned,  and, 
crouching  down  like  the  ferocious  animal  whose  appear- 
ance he  had  simulated,  gathered  himself  for  a  spring, 
pouring  out  of  his  mouth  a  succession  of  screams  so 
startlingly  savage  that  the  young  man  involuntarily 
started  back. 

"None  of  that,  none  of  that,"  said  the  Trapper,  "jest 
be  a  leetle  keerful  in  yer  actin',  for  the  hammer  of  my 
right  barrel  be  lifted,  and  I  ain't  in  the  temper  to  stand 
any  of  yer  foolishness.  I  can  see  by  yer  eye  that  ya 


238  ADIRONDACK  TALES. 

know  the  meanin'  of  a  grooved  barrel  when  ye  look 
into  it ;  and  though  I  don't  conceit  that  ye  have  but 
a  leetle  wit,  yit  ye  mustn't  play  any  of  yer  tantrums 
on  a  man  who  hates  the  color  of  yer  skin,  and  ain't 
more'n  half  suited  with  yer  actin'." 

The  singular  creature  still  kept  his  crouching  posi- 
tion, but  the  growl  which  again  proceeded  from  his 
mouth  was  not  only  far  less  in  volume,  but  of  gentler 
expression. 

"  That's  right ;  that's  right,"  said  the  Trapper  ; 
"  sober  down  as  fast  as  ye  can ;  and  the  quicker  ye  git 
to  yer  nateral  wit,  ef  ye  have  any,  the  better  it'll  be  for 
ye.  And  as  I  have  a  sort  of  feelin'  that  a  man  in  yer 
predicament  needs  a  lift  out  of  his  foolishness,  I  sar- 
tinly  advise  ye  to  quit  yer  crawlin',  and  stand  up  on 
yer  legs ;  and  as  it  may  hasten  yer  thinkin'  a  leetle, 
and  help  ye  to  a  right  jedgment,  I'll  tell  ye  that  ef  ye 
don't  git  onto  yer  legs  in  a  nateral  way,  I'll  help  ye  git 
onto  'em.  So  h'ist  yerself  onto  yer  feet,  or  I'll  treat  ye 
as  a  man  oughter  be  treated  who  takes  the  devil's  own 
skin  for  his  kiverin'.  H'ist,  I  tell  ye,"  said  the  Trapper. 
"  H'ist,  I  tell  ye,  and  be  quick  about  it,  for  ye  fooled 
the  boy  in  his  fust  shot  at  one  of  yer  kind,  and  I  won't 
stand  any  more  of  yer  foolishness." 

The  eye  of  the  Trapper  and  the  sound  of  his  voice, 
rather  than  the  words  that  he  spoke,  or  the  meaning  of 
fchem,  probably  influenced  the  insane  creature  to  the 
decision  that  the  Trapper  demanded  of  it ;  for,  after 
eying  the  speaker  steadfastly  for  a  moment,  during 
which  time  the  wild  light  of  insanity  was  fading  from 


THE  MYSTERY  OF  THE   WOODS.  239 

his  eyes,  the  man  thus  strangely  clothed  rose  to  his 
feet,  and  stood  as  if  expecting  further  commands. 

"I  be  glad  to  see  ye  actin'  more  rational  like," 
continued  the  Trapper,  "  and  it  may  be  the  Lord  has 
brought  ye  to  our  presence  to  help  us  in  our  sarchin'. 
I've  some  questions  to  ax  ye,  and  as  the  bushes  be  a 
leetle  thick  here,  and  I  don't  like  to  leave  the  boat  too 
long  out  of  sight,  ye  had  better  come  with  us  to  the 
beach,  where  we  can  have  a  little  convarse,  and  hold  a 
council  on  the  matter.  So  ye  lead  on  toward  the  P'int. 
Yis,  ye  go  ahead  of  us,  and  don't  ye  try  any  of  yer 
tricks  at  gittin'  away ;  for  the  fust  jump  that  ye  take, 
onless  it  be  in  the  line  of  the  P'int,  will  make  ye  wear 
splints  for  a  month,  and  need  the  vartue  of  yarbs." 

With  this  admonition  the  Trapper  stepped  one  side, 
and  with  an  authoritative  gesture  motioned  the  strange 
creature  to  precede  them  in  their  return  to  the  Point. 
This  he  did  promptly ;  and  in  a  few  moments  they  were 
again  standing  under  the  pines,  nigh  the  boat. 

"  I'm  a  leetle  onsartin,  Henry,"  said  the  Trapper, 
"  how  to  speak  to  the  critter.  His  foolishness  p'ints 
in  the  wrong  direction,  for  it  don't  p'int  towards  his 
kind ;  and  how  to  convarse  with  a  man  that  conceits 
himself  to  be  an  animil  is  more'n  I  can  tell." 

"  Can't  you  talk  with  him  by  signs  ?  "  asked  Herbert. 

"  I've  did  a  good  deal  of  that  in  my  day,"  answered 
the  Trapper ;  "  I've  made  a  good  many  signs  that  have 
been  understood ;  and  I've  made  a  good  many  signs 
that  them  I  was  makin'  them  to  didn't  understand. 


240  ADIRONDACK  TALES. 

Now,  the  redskins  on  the  plains  talk  by  signs,  and  it's 
the  easiest  way  of  talkin',  for  ye  can  say  jest  about 
what  ye  want  to,  and  ye  can  say  it  in  yer  own  way ; 
and  that  oughter  content  a  reasonable  man.  But  a 
redskin  has  an  eye  for  signs  and  motions,  and  ef  he 
once  gits  on  the  track,  he'll  f oiler  ye  to  the  eend." 

"  Perhaps  he  will  talk,"  responded  Henry,  encour- 
agingly. 

"  He  has  a  mouth,  for  sartin,"  said  the  Trapper, 
"and  he  can  git  a  good  deal  of  noise  out  of  it,  as  ye 
can  testify  ;  for  he  opened  on  ye  in  the  balsam  thicket 
in  a  way  that  act'ally  made  ye  start."  And  the  Trap- 
per laughed  heartily  at  the  remembrance  of  the  scene. 
"Yis,  Henry,  ye  act'ally  jumped  when  the  critter 
opened  on  ye  ;  and  I  don't  know  as  I  blame  ye ;  for  he 
sartinly  did  make  an  onhuman  noise.  Yis,  he  can 
make  a  noise  for  sartin ;  but  whether  he  can  make  a 
noise  with  any  sense  in  it  is  another  question.  But  I 
might  as  well  try  him,  anyway." 

During  the  continuance  of  this  dialogue,  the  singular 
being,  who  was  the  object  of  it,  stood  as  if  unconscious 
of  their  voices  or  their  presence.  His  face  had  on  it 
the  stolid  look  that  comes  not  merely  from  the  absence 
of  reason,  but  from  inanition  itself.  His  eyes  were 
unintelligent,  save  when  lighted  with  frenzy ;  and  his 
features  without  expression,  save  when  convulsed  with 
some  spasm  of  ferocity.  The  Trapper  stood  and  eyed 
him  curiously.  He  felt  the  task  that  he  was  to  under- 
take was  one  of  the  utmost  difficulty ;  and  that,  as  to 
the  accomplishment  of  it,  there  was  but  the  dimmest 


THE  MYSTERY  OP  THE  WOODS.  241 

prospect.  But  the  motive  which  moved  him  to  the 
effort  was  of  the  noblest,  and  the  feeling  which  actuated 
him,  deep  and  strong.  That  the  girl  was  somewhere 
in  the  woods  he  knew.  That  she  was  probably  left 
somewhere  in  the  vicinity  of  this  lake  he  deemed  prob- 
able ;  and  that  this  singular  creature,  in  his  aimless 
ramblings,  might  have  run  across  her,  or,  at  least,  seen 
the  boats  of  the  outlaws  in  their  coming  or  their  going, 
was  at  least  possible.  He  therefore  determined,  if  it 
lay  in  his  power,  to  obtain  from  the  strange  being  in 
front  of  him  whatever  he  might  know  touching  the 
whereabouts  of  the  girl,  or  the  coming  and  going  of 
the  party  whose  prisoner  she  was. 

"  I  think  ye  be  a  fool,"  said  the  Trapper  to  the 
strange  creature,  after  he  had  studied  his  face  closely 
for  a  full  minute,  "  and  ef  there  be  any  sense  in  ye, 
that  yer  craziness  will  make  it  of  leetle  account  in  this 
council.  And  so,  atween  the  two,  what  ye  don't  know, 
and  what  ye  wouldn't  know  ef  ye  did  know  it,  I  don't 
conceit  that  I  shall  git  much  out  of  ye.  But  the  girl 
must  be  found,  and  it  may  be  that  the  Lord  sent  ye  in 
yer  craziness  to  this  P'int ;  and  that  he  made  Henry 
see  the  color  of  yer  true  skin  to  answer  the  parpose  of 
his  marcy.  For  ef  he  didn't,  I  must  say,  I  can't 
account  for  the  boy's  failure  in  the  balsam  thicket." 

With  these  words  the  Trapper  put  himself  in  front 
of  the  object  of  his  remarks,  and  prepared  to  address 
him. 


242  ADIRONDACK  TALES 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

"THE  fust  thing  for  us  to  settle,"  said  the  Trapper, 
addressing  himself  to  the  man  who  was  clothed  in  the 
skin  of  the  panther,  "  before  we  git  very  far  in  this 
council  is,  whether  ye  be  a  man,  or  whether  ye  be  an 
animil :  for,  ef  ye  be  a  man,  the  convarse  is  to  be  of  one 
kind,  and  ef  ye  be  an  animil,  the  convarse  will  be  of 
another  kind ;  and  as  ye  look  about  as  much  for  one 
side  of  the  case  as  ye  do  for  the  other,  it  isn't  easy  for 
a  man  of  my  gifts  to  settle  it  without  advice.  And  as 
ye  ought  to  know  which  ye  be  better  than  any  one  else, 
I'll  ax  ye  the  question,  and  ef  ye  give  it  anything  like 
a  rational  answer,  the  main  p'ints  of  the  case  will  be 
fixed  to  start  with." 

Here  the  Trapper  paused  a  moment,  and  fixed  his 
eyes  steadily  on  the  eyes  of  the  singular  being  in  front 
of  him,  as  if  he  would,  by  the  steadfastness  of  the  gaze, 
concentrate  his  attention,  and  re-establish  the  connection 
of  mutual  intelligence  and  sympathy  which  he  had  lost, 
or  feigned  to  have  lost,  with  his  species ;  and  then  he 
said,  speaking  with  direct  bluntness,  — 

"  Be  ye  man,  or  be  ye  an  animil  ?  " 

If  the  Trapper  had  expected  any  response,  he  must 
have  suffered  a  keen  disappointment ;  for  not  only  did 
the  singular  creature  fail  to  make  any  verbal  answer, 
but  even  to  make  the  least  sign.  He  returned  the  gaze 


THE  MYSTERY  OF  THE  WOODS.  243 

of  the  Trapper  with  eyes  that  neither  shrank  from  the 
steady  orbs  of  the  other,  nor  emitted  the  least  ray  of 
intelligence.  Not  only  the  eyes  remained  utterly  ex- 
pressionless, but  the  inane  look  of  the  countenance  and 
the  stolid  calmness  of  the  features  kept  their  posses- 
sion of  a  face  which  only  in  its  outlines  and  the  curves 
of  its  formation  seemed  of  human  kind. 

The  Trapper  waited  the  moment  out,  and  then  he 
turned  toward  Herbert,  and  said  with  a  tone  in  which 
vexation  and  humor  were  equally  mingled,  — 

"  No,  Henry,  the  creetur'  isn't  over-talkative,  and, 
under  ordinary  sarcumstances,  I  should  set  it  down  to 
his  credit ;  for  the  greatest  part  of  the  troubles  of  the 
world,  leastwise,  as  I've  obsarved  it,  comes  from 
over-talkin'.  The  redskins  have  the  vartue  of  keepin' 
their  mouths  shet  and  their  eyes  and  their  ears  open ; 
and  that's  accordin'  to  reason,  as  I  conceit,  for  the  eyes 
see  too  much,  and  the  ears  hear  too  much,  for  the 
tongue  to  be  tellin'  it.  And  the  less  a  man  says  of 
what  he  has  seed  and  what  he  has  heerd,  the  better 
folks  will  like  him,  and  the  less  evil  he  will  do,  as  a 
rule.  I  sartinly  doubt  ef  the  Lord  will  have  a  single 
p'int  to  make  ag'in  this  creetur'  in  the  jedgment  on 
the  ground  of  his  over-talkin'.  I  feel  so  sartin  about 
it  that  I  don't  think  it  is  wicked  to  tempt  him  a  leetle. 
Ye  be  quick-witted,  Henry,  and  I  ax  ye  ef  ye've  any- 
thing to  offer  in  the  way  of  advice  ? "  and  the  old 
Trapper  turned  his  troubled  and  perplexed  countenance 
toward  the  young  man. 

"  The  trouble  of  it  is,"  answered  the  young  man, 


244  ADIRONDACK  TALES. 

"  he  won't  even  make  a  noise.  It  seems  to  me,  if  you 
could  make  him  begin  to  use  his  mouth,  we  could  get 
some  intelligent  sound  out  of  him  by  and  by.  Can't 
you  make  him  make  a  noise  ?  " 

"  I  never  seed  anything  that  I  couldn't  git  a  noise 
out  of,"  replied  the  Trapper,  "  ef  it  had  a  mouth,  and 
I  felt  free  to  fully  argue  the  p'int  with  it.  Now,  techin' 
the  creetur'  afore  us,  I  don't  feel  at  all  oneasy  on  the 
matter  of  noise ;  and  ef  ye  want  noise,  noise  ye  shall 
have." 

"How  are  you  going  to  get  it  out  of  him,  John 
Norton?" 

"  I  dunno ;  I  dunno,"  said  the  Trapper.  "  There  be 
many  devices  that  can  be  more  or  less  trusted  to.  The 
ramrod  is  a  great  help,  ef  it  be  of  good  hickory  and 
jediciously  used.  I've  poked  a  good  many  secrets  out 
of  the  redskins  with  the  eend  of  the  ramrod.  There's 
a  spot  jest  below  the  bottom  rib,  nigh  round  to  the 
backbone,  where  most  of  their  devilments  be  hidden ; 
and  a  few  jedicious  teches,  put  in  a  leetle  'arnestly,  ef 
they  be  stubborn,  is  apt  to  git  the  secrets  out  of  'em." 

"  Try  him  with  something  else  first,"  answered  Her- 
bert, laughing  in  spite  of  himself  at  the  grave  humor 
of  the  old  Trapper's  confession  :  "  try  him  a  little  more 
earnestly  with  your  voice.  Idiots  are  often  subject  to 
fear,  and  can  easily  be  frightened." 

The  Trapper,  as  our  readers  know,  was  a  man  of 
great  stature.  His  head  was  large,  and  his  features 
extraordinarily  mobile.  Age  had  taken  the  inelasticity 
of  that  fulness  which  youth  gives  the  countenance,  — • 


THE  MYSTERY  OF  THE  WOODS.  245 

a  fulness  which,  while  it  supplies  the  superficial  beauty 
of  physical  proportion,  is  unable  to  receive  into  it  and 
transmit  through  it  the  emotions  of  the  soul.  The 
years  had,  as  it  were,  sweated  the  freshness  from  his 
face,  and  brought  it  to  that  fine  condition  which, 
when  in  repose,  gives  to  the  gazer  the  measure  of  the 
settled  character ;  and  which  reflects,  when  the  nature 
is  stirred  from  within,  the  full  intensity  of  the  preva- 
lent emotion. 

In  pleasant  conversation  his  features  were  charming. 
In  humorous  passages  they  even  assisted  the  rising 
mirthfulness.  In  grief  they  were  settled  as  solemnity 
itself ;  while  in  combat,  when  the  terrible  strength  and 
power  of  the  man  were  thoroughly  aroused,  they  were 
dreadful  to  behold.  Indeed,  so  elastic  were  his  features, 
and  so  quick  were  they  to  respond  not  merely  to  his 
emotions  but  even  to  his  will,  that  they  were,  as  were 
indeed  all  the  other  faculties  of  the  man,  to  a  remark- 
able degree,  under  his  control.  And  no  sooner  had 
Herbert  suggested  that  he  should  attempt  to  frighten 
the  man  in  front  of  him  out  of  his  assumed  dumbness, 
than,  quick  as  a  flash,  he  flung  his  rifle  to  the  ground, 
and,  with  a  single  leap,  cleared  the  distance  between 
him  and  the  man,  and  with  a  face  as  black  as  the  face 
of  wrath  itself,  and  with  a  voice  like  thunder,  and  with 
a  clutch  like  a  vise  on  either  shoulder  as  he  leaped  upon 
him,  yelled,  — 

"BE    YE    A    MAN?" 

The  yell  which  poured  out  of  the  creature's  mouth 
was  as  terrific  as  the  exclamation  of  the  Trapper's  had 


246  ADIRONDACK  TALES. 

been  dreadful.  It  was  the  scream  of  animal  fright, 
utterly  without  reason  and  without  intelligence,  save 
that  which  the  apprehension  of  terror  has  in  it.  The 
face  of  the  wretched  being  fairly  shrivelled  and  shrunk 
until  it  was  distorted  with  his  awful  fear.  The  mouth 
remained  open  when  the  yell  had  passed  out  of  it.  The 
eyes  bulged  in  their  sockets,  and  the  sharp,  pinched 
agony  of  the  face  showed  through  a  skin  colorless  of 
blood.  But  on  the  countenance  was  not  a  trace  of  any 
intelligence  beyond  that  which  the  deadly  terror  of  a 
dumb  creature  can  reveal. 

Perhaps  the  Trapper  was  himself  startled  at  the 
effect  which  his  ruse  had  produced  upon  the  unfortunate. 
Perhaps  even  his  nerves  interpreted  the  resultant  reac- 
tion following  so  swift  a  movement  and  so  startling  an 
effect.  But  from  whatever  cause,  he  started  suddenly 
back  from  the  terrified  creature,  who  was  trembling  to 
such  an  extent  that  he  could  scarcely  stand,  and  con- 
templated him  a  moment  with  an  expression  in  his  eyes 
akin  to  pity.  But,  in  an  instant,  he  recovered  the  self- 
possession  of  his  feeling,  and,  turning  to  Herbert,  said,  — 

"The  creetur  act' ally  thought  I  was  in  'arnest, 
Henry.  See  him  shake,  boy.  Lord  !  how  we  can  fool 
folks,  with  the  look  of  an  eye  and  the  sound  of  a  voice. 
But  I'm  glad  I've  got  him  started ;  and  though  he 
hasn't  act' ally  got  wordy  yit,  still,  I  wouldn't  wonder 
ef  we  got  about  all  he  knows  out  of  him  afore  we  got 
through ;  but  I  don't  conceit  it'll  be  act' ally  burden- 
some, ef  we  do,  because  "  — 

"  I  think  you  had  better  put  your  questions  to  him? 


THE  MYSTERY  OP  THE  WOODS.  247 

John  Norton ;  he  has  got  over  shaking,  and,  if  you  have 
started  his  mind,  you  had  better  keep  it  going." 

"  Henry,  ye  talk  like  a  jedge ;  yis,  when  ye  git  any- 
thing started,  ye  always  want  to  keep  it  goin'.  I  got 
a  feller  started  on  the  Ossawagatchie  last  fall.  Ye  see, 
he  had  a  couple  of  my  traps,  not  to  speak  of  a  mar- 
ten, and  I  come  agin  him  on  a  carry,  and  he  seed  me 
comin',  and  I  conceit  that  I  looked  a  good  deal  like  the 
Jedgment  Day.  Afore  I'd  got  the  reason  of  his  con- 
duct, he  had  the  start  of  me  by  a  dozen  jumps.  It 
didn't  take  me  long  to  git  out  from  under  the  boat. 
My  rifle  was  strapped  in  —  an  onreasonable  act,  Henry ; 
don't  ye  ever  strap  yer  rifle  into  yer  boat,  when  ye  are 
trailin'  for  skins,  and  ye  are  near  the  borders  of  the 
woods  where  the  vagabonds  have  their  housens.  But  I 
got  the  strap  started  pritty  lively,  and  I  drawed  on 
him  as  he  went  over  a  knoll.  It  wasn't  much  of  a 
chance,  for  the  trees  was  thick ;  but  the  sound  of  the 
piece  lightened  him  considerably,  and  the  next  dozen 
jumps  that  he  made,  as  he  went  down  the  knoll  arter 
the  bullit  passed  him,  averaged  nigh  on  to  six  paces. 
Yis,  they  did,  boy,  for  I  measured  them  myself,  as  soon 
as  I  got  over  laughin'.  I  wished  ye  had  been  there  "  — 

"  But  don't  you  think  that  you  had  better  put  your 
questions  about  the  girl  ?  " 

"  I  am  puttin'  the  questions,  boy.  Ye  mustn't  be  in 
a  hurry  in  a  council,  Henry.  Now,  ye  see,  while  I've 
ben  tellin'  ye  about  the  runnin'  of  the  vagabond,  I've 
had  my  eye  on  the  creetur,  and,  ef  I'm  any  jedge  of 
looks,  he's  got  a  good  deal  interested  himself;  and  ef 


248  ADIRONDACK  TALES. 

ye  hadn't  interrupted  me,  boy,  I  shouldn't  have  won- 
dered a  bit  ef  afore  the  vagabond  had  got  to  the  foot  of 
the  knoll,  he'd  put  in  a  question  himself ;  for  he  didn't 
like  the  measurement  of  the  leaps  a  bit  better'n  you 
did.  Ye  see,  Henry,"  continued  the  Trapper,  resuming 
the  same  tone  in  which  he  had  been  narrating  his 
experience,  "  ye  see,  there  isn't  more'n  one  or  two  men, 
nor  panthers  neither,  for  that  matter,  that  can  jump 
eighteen  feet.  Now,  ye  take  this  creetur  in  front  of 
us ;  I  don't  conceit  that  he's  wuth  a  cent  at  jumpin' ; 
for  ye  see,  in  order  to  make  a  good  jump,  ye've  got  to 
git  yer  legs  into  the  right  position,  and  the  more  legs 
ye  have,  the  more  painstakin'  ye've  got  to  be  in  the 
matter.  Yis,  yis,  boy,  I  see  him;  natur'  begins  to 
work  in  him,  and  we'll  have  him  jumpin',  sure  as  jedg- 
ment.  Keep  quiet,  boy,  and  see  the  reason  of  the 
convarse.  Lord ! "  said  the  Trapper  to  himself,  "  this 
beats  the  signs  of  the  redskins  by  the  width  of  a  bullit 
at  least,  when  the  shootin'  is  close." 

While  the  Trapper  had  been  carrying  on  his  conver- 
sation, it  was  evident  that  into  the  idiotic  mind,  whose 
torpid  consciousness  he  was  so  cunningly  trying  to 
excite,  the  idea  of  action  and  of  rivalry  had  inserted 
itself ;  for  he  had  lowered  himself  to  the  ground,  and 
was  now  resting  on  his  forelimbs,  as  if  he  were  indeed 
an  animal.  And  not  only  this,  but  had  gathered  him- 
self into  the  precise  posture  which  the  panther  himself 
would  take  when  about  to  make  his  longest  spring. 
Even  the  tremulousness  of  the  body,  which  precedes  all 
jumps  of  animals  belonging  to  the  cat  species,  had 


THE  MYSTERY  OF  THE   WOODS.  249 

taken  possession  of  his  frame,  and  there  was  every 
symptom  that  the  crouching  form,  with  whatever 
strength  it  was  possessed,  would  soon  be  launched 
into  the  air. 

"  Ef  he  only  had  a  tail,  Henry  !  "  said  the  Trapper  to 
his  companion,  while  he  kept  his  eyes  fastened  steadily 
on  the  crouching  body,  betraying  the  humor  of  his  feel- 
ings only  by  the  sound  of  his  voice.  "  Lord,  boy,  ef  he 
only  had  a  tail !  He  may  be  a  fool,  but  he  has  sartinly 
studied  the  habits  of  the  animil  with  which  he  consorts, 
until  he's  got  their  actin',  motion  for  motion.  Yis,  it 
is  a  big  jump,"  continued  the  Trapper,  as  if  turning  to 
his  narration ;  "  eighteen  paces  "  — 

A  sort  of  growl  interrupted  him. 

"  As  I  was  sayin',  eighteen  feet  is  a  big  jump,  and 
the  man  in  the  skin  knows  it,  as  ye  see,  boy ;  and  he 
knows  the  difference  atween  eighteen  paces  and  eighteen 
feet,  too ;  and  that  is  sartinly  more  1'arnin'  than  I  give 
him  credit  for,  to  start  with.  Now,  I'm  going  to  pace 
off  the  distance  that  the  vagabond  jumped  on  the  carry, 
arter  he  heerd  the  sound  of  the  piece ;  and  I  doubt  ef 
there's  a  man  or  panther  that  can  jump  it ; "  and,  suit- 
ing the  action  to  the  word,  the  old  Trapper  paced  the 
six  paces,  and,  with  the  stock  of  his  rifle,  drew  a  clear, 
strong  line  in  the  pine  stems  to  denote  the  boundary  of 
the  distance.  It  is  doubtful  if  he  would  have  drawn 
the  mark  so  leisurely  had  he  seen  what  was  going  on 
behind  him ;  for,  no  sooner  had  the  line  been  drawn 
through  the  pine  stems,  than  the  strange  creature, 
whose  appearance  and  action  alike  might  justify  the 


250  ADIRONDACK  TALES. 

description  of  half  man  and  half  panther,  crouched 
with  a  sudden  motion  still  lower,  and,  with  a  scream  of 
fierce  delight,  launched  himself  into  the  air. 

The  Trapper  was  standing  back  towards  him  when 
the  scream  was  delivered,  and,  though  taken  by  sur- 
prise at  the  quickness  of  the  response  that  his  device 
had  elicited,  he  spun  himself  half  round  with  the  quick- 
ness of  a  top,  and,  with  a  motion  quick  as  an  animal, 
with  a  half  leap,  taken  at  a  stoop,  dropped  to  the 
ground. 

The  result  of  this  dexterous  movement  the  reader 
can  easily  apprehend;  for  the  man  in  the  panther's 
skin  passed  clear  over  the  Trapper  in  the  curve  of  his 
tremendous  leap,  and  the  Trapper  escaped  the  collision 
which  would  otherwise  have  been  inevitable.  It  was, 
indeed,  a  tremendous  leap ;  for  it  carried  the  performer 
not  only  to  the  line  that  the  Trapper  had  drawn,  but 
several  feet  beyond  it.  And  when  the  strange  creature 
rose  to  his  feet,  through  the  stolid  idiocy  of  his  count- 
enance there  plainly  gleamed  the  look  of  triumph,  and 
with  it  something  of  a  human  expression,  as  if,  in 
excelling  a  deed  of  man,  he  had  in  some  subtle  meas- 
ure faintly,  at  least,  re-established  his  lost  connection 
with  his  kind. 

"  Henry,"  said  the  Trapper,  as  he  stepped  aside,  and 
eyed  the  distance  that  the  strange  being  had  covered, 
"  Plenry,  the  creetur's  legs  be  of  the  best,  or  he  never 
could  have  did  it.  For  the  jump  be  a  big  'un : 
nigh  on  to  twenty-two  feet,  as  I  jedge ;  and  there 
ain't  many  legs  that  can  cover  that  distance  on 


THE  MYSTERY  OP  THE  WOODS.  251 

level  ground,  onless  they  hear  somethin'  in  'arnest 
behind  'em. 

"  I  feel  a  good  deal  encouraged,  Henry,"  said  the 
Trapper  to  his  companion,  after  he  had  contemplated 
the  creature  in  front  of  him ;  "  for  we've  sartinly  got 
one  idee  into  him,  and  I  conceit  that  by  a  leetle  keer- 
ful  watchin'  and  jedicious  managin'  we'll  git  another. 
The  p'int  for  us  to  git  at  is,  has  he  seed  the  girl  ?  Yis, 
that's  the  fust  thing.  Keep  yer  eye  on  him  now,  for 
the  eye  and  not  the  ear  is  what  we  must  depend  on  in 
startin'  this  trail.  I  was  tellin'  ye,"  continued  the 
Trapper,  dropping  into  the  precise  tone  of  narration 
which  he  had  used  in  the  previous  description  of  the 
jumping  of  the  thief  on  the  carry,  "  I  was  tellin'  ye,  ye 
remember,  Henry,  of  the  vagabond  I  met  on  the  carry 
with  a  couple  of  my  traps  on  his  back,  not  to  speak  of 
the  pelt  of  a  marten  that  belonged  to  me,  and  of  the 
runnin'  he  did  arter  he  seed  I  was  comin',  and  I  had 
lightened  his  heels  with  the  sound  of  my  piece.  The 
fact  is,  boy,  my  mind  isn't  quite  clear  on  this  matter  of 
runnin',  for  it  don't  lie  in  the  build,  and  the  length  of 
the  legs  don't  settle  it,  for  I've  seed  in  the  matches  on 
the  edges  of  the  settlements,  a  short-legged  man  beat 
a  long-legged  one.  And  even  among  the  redskins  it 
isn't  the  handsomest  limbed  runners  that  will  fetch  the 
tidin's  the  quickest.  Boy,  where  does  the  runnin' 
power  of  a  man  lie  ?  " 

"  I  think,"  answered  Herbert,  "  that  the  windpipe 
and  lungs,  rather  than  the  muscles,  often  decide  the 
race." 


252  ADIRONDACK  TALES. 

"  I  shouldn't  wonder  ef  ye  was  right,  Henry.  Yis, 
it  sartinly  takes  a  big  nostril  to  live  out  a  race,  or  else 
a  mouth  that  answers  the  same  parpose.  Now,  pan- 
thers can't  run ;  they  can  jump.  Ye  have  seed  that  they 
can  jump,  but  a  dozen  jumps  settles  'em ;  and  the  rea- 
son is,  they  haven't  any  nose.  They  was  made  for 
springin',  and  not  for  racin'.  And  ef  the  bushes  be 
scant,  and  she  had  a  dozen  rods  the  start,  a  nimble- 
footed  girl  could  outrun  one  of  'em." 

It  is  difficult  to  say  whether  Herbert  more  admired 
the  adroitness  with  which  the  old  Trapper  had  led  his 
remarks  up  to  their  culmination  in  the  pronouncing  of 
the  word  "  girl,"  which  was  done  with  the  slightest  of 
all  emphasis,  just  enough  to  distinguish  it  from  the 
words  which  preceded  and  followed  it,  or  wondered  at 
the  result.  The  strange  creature,  ever  since  he  had 
made  his  jump,  had  manifested  a  certain  agitation.  It 
seemed  as  if  the  sight  of  human  faces  and  the  sound  of 
human  voices,  and  their  continued  presence  so  nigh 
him,  had  created  an  influence  which  was  penetrating 
through  the  terror  of  his  mind,  and  insinuating  subtle 
and  magnetic  currents  into  his  sluggish  consciousness ; 
for  his  face,  while  not  animated,  at  least  revealed  the 
possibility  of  becoming  so.  The  night  was  still  over  it, 
but  the  watcher  felt  that  the  prophecy  of  a  dawn  was 
amid  the  gloom,  and  a  dawn,  too,  that  might  come  at 
any  moment  and  with  a  burst  of  splendor  when  it  came. 

As  the  Trapper  had  continued  his  remarks,  the 
strange  being  had  kept  his  eyes  fastened  on  his  lips, 
as  if  by  eye,  as  well  as  by  ear,  he  sought  to  establish 


THE  MYSTERY  OF  THE   WOODS.  253 

connection  between  his  understanding  and  a  method  of 
expression  to  which  he  had  been  so  long  unfamiliar. 
That  the  attempt  was  not  unsuccessful  the  result 
proved.  That  his  mind  had  formed  connection  with 
human  speech  sufficiently  strong  to  receive  impressions 
from  spoken  words  was  on  the  instant  made  manifest. 
For,  when  the  Trapper  had  pronounced  the  word  "girl," 
even  as  the  sound  of  the  word  fell  on  his  ear,  a  flush 
came  to  his  face ;  a  cry  leaped  from  his  mouth,  and 
the  furred  right  arm  swept  into  the  air,  and,  for  a  mo- 
ment, fixed  itself  in  a  gesture  of  direction. 

The  joy  of  Herbert  was  so  great,  for  he  caught  the 
significance  both  of  the  creature's  exclamation  and  its 
accompanying  gesture,  that  a  cry  of  delight  escaped 
him.  The  Trapper  showed  less  emotion,  but  felt  equal 
delight. 

"  He's  seed  her,  boy  !  The  Lord  be  praised  !  He's 
seed  her,  that's  sartin  as  jedgment ;  and  twenty  Moravian 
missioners,  with  all  their  preachments,  couldn't  make  the 
direction  plainer'n  he  has  by  that  sweep  of  his  arm." 

"  Let  us  go.  We've  got  enough  out  of  him  to  tell  us 
the  direction.  Let  us  to  the  boat,  and  be  off." 

"  Steady,  boy.  The  scent  is  cold  yit ;  and  ye'll  run 
over  it,  or  lose  it  altogether,  ef  ye  make  the  pace  hot. 
We  know  that  he  has  seed  the  girl.  We  don't  know 
when ;  and  we  don't  know  whether  he  seed  her  living, 
or  seed  her  dead." 

"How  can  he  tell  us?  how  can  he  tell  us?"  ex- 
claimed the  Trapper's  companion.  "The  fool  can't 
understand  our  sympathies,  or  know  the  value  of  time." 


254  ADIRONDACK  TALES. 

"  Leash  the  pups,  boy,  and  hold  'em  a  while  in  hand, 
I  tell  ye,  or  ye' 11  sartinly  sp'il  the  hunt  in  yer  eager- 
ness. The  fool  is  doin'  well,  considerin'  his  gifts ;  and 
is  fetchin'  us  forrad  faster'n  yer  wit  and  yer  larnin' 
could  do  it.  His  eye  is  kindlin',  and  I  begin  to  conceit 
that  there  was  reason  in  the  Lord's  actin',  when  he 
caused  ye  to  miss  him  in  the  balsam  thicket.  Yis,  his 
eye  is  kindlin',  and  the  winder  never  looked  bright  yit 
onless  there  was  fire  in  the  cabin.  The  eye,  boy, 
whether  it  be  in  the  head  of  the  man,  or  the  animil,  was 
put  there  for  another  parpose  than  for  the  man  inside  to 
see  out  of ;  it  was  put  there  for  them  who  be  outside  to 
see  into.  Now,  do  ye  stand,  boy,  and  watch  the  reason 
of  my  actin'.  Ye  axed  me  to  give  ye  some  sign-talkin' 
the  other  day,  and  wondered  how  it  could  be  did.  I 
couldn't  give  it  to  ye  then ;  for  a  man  can't  talk  by 
words,  nor  by  signs,  neither,  onless  he's  somethin'  to 
say ;  and  T  had  nothin'  to  say.  But  now,  I've  got 
somethin'  to  say ;  and  I'll  show  ye  how  the  redskins 
and  the  hunters  of  the  Western  plains  talk  by  signs 
when  they  be  ignorant  of  words." 

With  this,  the  old  Trapper  set  his  rifle  against  the 
pine-tree,  and,  placing  himself  some  dozen  feet  in  front 
of  the  man  who  was  dressed  in  the  skin  of  the  panther, 
proceeded  to  address  him  in  the  picturesque  and  im- 
pressive language  of  pantomime,  with  which  his  life  and 
travels  among  the  Indians  and  frontiersmen  —  for  his 
journeyings  had  extended  to  the  base  of  the  Rocky 
Mountains  —  had  made  him  a  master. 

There  is  no  fashion  of  human  communication,  as  we 


THE  MYSTERY  OF  THE   WOODS.  255 

have  said,  so  picturesque  and  impressive  as  that  of 
pantomime,  or  of  physical  acting.  It  is  the  language 
of  personality  in  its  highest  state  of  expressiveness. 
Little  are  personalities  seen  in  the  hare  movements  of 
the  lips,  when  from  the  moving  but  concealed  tongue, 
mechanically,  without  soul,  the  words  come  forth. 
Whatever  diamond-like  significance  the  word  may 
itself  contain,  as  the  lip  pronounces  it,  the  diamond's 
gleam  is  not  in  the  utterance.  The  mind  of  the  list- 
ener must  take  the  cold  stone,  and  through  the  friction 
of  his  own  imagination,  strike  the  blaze  into  it.  Hence 
eloquence  is  not  in  the  man,  but  in  the  multitude  that 
hear  the  man.  And  not  only  talent  but  genius  —  and 
genius  of  the  highest  type  —  has  more  than  once  con- 
fessed to  its  own  inability,  when  brought  face  to  face 
with  unresponsive  hearers.  Imagination  must  speak 
to  imagination.  Reason  must  address  itself  to  reason. 
Thought  must  have  audience  of  thought ;  and  fire  must 
be  mingled  with  kindred  flame,  or  ever  through  the 
dull,  cold  process  of  verbal  speech,  the  poetry  and 
strength  of  the  nature  can  be  manifest. 

The  Trapper,  as  we  have  said,  placed  himself  in 
front  of  the  strange  being,  who  had  from  some  freak 
of  insanity  left  the  companionship  of  his  kind,  and 
by  imitation  of  covering  and  habits  alike  had  become 
associated  with  animals ;  and  who,  it  was  evident,  in 
his  wandering  through  the  woods,  had  met  the  girl 
after  whom  they  were  searching ;  but  when  or  where, 
or  whether  living  or  dead,  neither  the  Trapper  nor  his 
companion  knew.  And  this  knowledge,  upon  which 


256  ADIRONDACK  TALES. 

the  method  and  direction  of  their  future  search  would 
depend,  the  Trapper  proposed  to  elicit,  not  by  language 
addressed  to  the  ear,  but  by  that  more  vivid  and 
impressive  method  of  communicating  thought  which 
appealed  clearly,  strongly,  and,  at  times,  even  start- 
lingly,  to  the  understanding  through  the  eye. 

The  eyes  of  the  two  men  were  now  fastened  upon 
each  other.  For  a  moment  the  Trapper  did  not  move. 
It  was  as  if  the  gathering  magnetism  of  his  nature  was 
being  concentrated  in  his  gaze  alone,  that  through  it 
should  go  forth  a  current  that  should  start  an  answer- 
ing current  in  the  other.  Their  eyes  met.  Their  eyes 
mingled.  The  orbs  of  the  Trapper  glowed  steady  and 
strong.  The  orbs  of  the  other  shifted  and  stirred 
uneasily  in  their  sockets  for  an  instant,  flashed  and 
kindled  intermittently,  and  then  settled  into  steadiness 
of  vision,  and  met  the  interrogative  gaze  with  one 
receptively  submissive. 

What  is  this  strange,  subtle  force  in  the  stronger 
nature  which  brings  the  weaker  into  alliance  with  it  — 
at  times  even  into  submission  to  it  ? 

Henry,  who  watched  with  keenest  interest  the  ma- 
nceuvrings  of  the  Trapper  to  capture  the  attention  of 
the  other  and  fix  it  upon  himself,  marvelled  as  he 
perceived  how  quickly  one  could  conquer  another. 
Never  had  he  seen  the  Trapper  look  as  he  now  looked. 
Never  had  he  seen  the  greatness  that  was  in  him 
appear  so  evident.  He  stood  erect,  lifted  to  his  fullest 
height,  his  head  thrown  slightly  back,  his  nostrils, 
under  the  exciting  passages  of  the  outgoing  force, 


THE  MYSTERY  OF  THE  WOODS.  257 

dilating,  his  eyes  glowing  with  benevolent,  indeed,  but 
all-controlling  emotion.  The  force  that  was  needed 
was  not  the  force  required  from  the  strong  to  conquer 
the  weak,  but  the  force  that  is  required  from  the  living 
to  quicken  the  dead;  for  the  mind  upon  which  the 
Trapper  was  called  to  exercise  his  power  was  not  only 
dead  to  human  contact,  but  had  for  years  been  buried 
beneath  another  organism  which  had  formed  its  rude 
and  barbarous  stratum  above  it.  To  resurrect  the  man 
from  underneath  the  animal,  and  move  his  understand- 
ing in  the  long-unused  forces  of  human  thought ;  to 
fasten  it  upon  dates  and  names,  conditions  and  appear- 
ances, and  make  the  comprehension  adequate  to  the 
emergency,  —  this  was  the  miracle  which  the  Trapper 
attempted ;  and  the  first  movement  to  the  accomplish- 
ment of  the  miracle  was  to  fix  the  wandering  mind, 
and  into  it  insert  one  idea.  And  so  the  Trapper, 
having  by  his  gaze  conquered  the  gaze  of  the  other, 
lifted  his  right  hand  in  front  of  him,  and,  pointing 
suggestively  directly  at  the  other,  said,  in  a  voice  so 
clear,  strong,  and  condensed  that  it  seemed  to  go 
through  the  one  to  whom  it  was  spoken, — 
"Girl!" 


258  ADIRONDACK  TALES. 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

As  the  word  girl,  clearly  and  strongly  spoken,  escaped 
the  Trapper's  lips,  the  man  in  front  of  him  visibly 
started,  and  Herbert  discerned  an  inclination  of  the 
head,  as  if,  voluntarily  or  involuntarily,  he  not  only 
understood  the  desire  of  the  Trapper,  but  the  object 
of  his  proceedings. 

The  Trapper,  confident  that  he  had  at  last  made 
positive  connection  with  the  lingering,  perhaps  we 
should  say,  the  re-awakening  intelligence  of  the  singu- 
lar creature,  proceeded  at  once  in  the  motions  of  his 
pantomime.  The  first  fact  he  wished  to  ascertain,  now 
that  he  knew  the  girl  had  been  seen,  was  the  time  or 
date  of  their  meeting.  The  old  man  knew  that  he 
could  not  have  met  the  girl  that  day,  and  therefore 
that  he  must  count  backwards  in  order  to  fix  the  time. 
Whether  the  feeble  mind  of  the  man  would  apprehend, 
and  be  able  to  follow  his  voiceless  speech,  he  could  not 
tell ;  but,  hoping  that  such  a  fortunate  result  might  be 
reached,  he  addressed  himself  at  once  to  the  task. 

And,  first,  he  lifted  his  hand,  and  pointed  with  his 
finger  directly  at  the  sun ;  then  he  traced  the  line  of 
its  course  backward  toward  the  east,  and  by  a  look  and 
a  motion  of  his  hands,  palms  outward,  toward  the  east, 
fixed  it  there.  Then  he  paused.  Then  over  the  earth, 
with  groping  motions  of  his  hands,  and  his  eyes  shut, 


THE  MYSTERY  OF  THE    WOODS.  259 

he  spread  out  the  darkness.  Opening  his  eyes,  he  went 
through  the  signs  of  a  person  trying  to  see  in  the  dark. 
In  the  gloom  above,  with  movements  of  his  fingers,  he 
traced  the  stars,  and  then  with  his  voice  he  sounded 
the  hoot  of  the  owl  as  it  booms  from  the  pines  amid 
the  gloom  of  night ;  the  cry  of  the  loon,  prolonged  and 
finely  drawn  out  as  it  comes  through  the  evening  damp, 
and  other  sounds  familiar  to  the  night-time  and  the  dusk, 
—  sounds  of  the  air,  and  sounds  of  the  water,  —  until 
Herbert  marvelled  that  so  plain  and  unmistakable  a 
description  of  the  night  season  could  be  made  by  one 
standing  on  a  beach  with  the  noon-day  glare  above  him. 

The  strange  creature  standing  in  front  of  him  fol- 
lowed each  motion  of  the  pantomime  with  vigilant  eye ; 
and  when  the  voice  sounding  the  night-calls  of  Nature 
broke  on  his  ear,  it  was  evident  to  both  of  the  men 
that  were  watching  him  that  the  picturesque  and  vivid 
description  had  accomplished  its  purpose,  and  that  the 
man  well  knew  that  the  Trapper  had  measured  the 
portion  of  the  day  in  whose  light  they  were  standing, 
and  the  night  back  of  it.  Confident  of  this,  the  Trap- 
per paused  again,  and  again  said,  in  the  same  clear, 
strong,  and  condensed  tone,  "  Girl !  " 

But  the  face  of  the  strange  being  remained  steadfast 
in  its  expression,  and  it  was  evident  to  the  Trapper 
that  if  he  ever  gave  a  sign,  it  would  be  only  when  he 
had  measured  to  the  date  when  he  and  the  lost  one  had 
met. 

Without  pausing  an  instant,  without  intermitting  the 
powerful  magnetism  of  his  gaze  on  the  object  in  front 


260  ADIRONDACK  TALES. 

of  him,  with  freer  motions  and  more  vivid  picturing, 
again  did  the  Trapper  describe  the  coming  of  morning : 
and  so  wonderfully  fine  was  his  acting,  and  so  accurate 
was  his  knowledge  of  nature  in  its  natural  changes, 
that  the  sun  seemed  to  rise  before  Herbert's  eyes, 
the  clouds  to  crimson,  the  lake  to  gleam,  the  morning 
breeze  to  rise,  and  the  waves,  urged  by  them,  to  break 
on  the  beach.  And  then,  to  complete  the  perfect  pres- 
entation of  the  morning  time,  out  of  the  mouth  of  the 
Trapper  came  the  call  of  all  morning  birds.  The  owl, 
grumbling,  hid  himself  in  the  uppermost  boughs  of  the 
pine.  Down  the  same  tree  ran  the  squirrel  chattering ; 
and  so  perfect  was  the  imitation  that,  as  the  air  broke 
into  noisy  fragments,  Herbert  could  scarcely  believe 
that  above  his  head  the  little  sprightly  creature  was 
not  actually  perched,  calling  noisily  to  his  mate 
through  the  grove.  The  deer  came  down,  fed,  drank, 
and  retired.  The  fawns  capered  over  the  sands,  and 
disappeared  in  the  bush.  At  the  mouth  of  the  inlet 
the  trout  jumped  and  splashed.  The  lilies  began  to 
close,  and  their  white  flowers  hid  themselves  within 
their  green  lobes.  Never  was  a  truer  picture  of  morn- 
ing sketched ;  never  the  coming  of  the  day,  with  all 
its  splendor  and  its  sounds  of  waking  life,  more  truly 
delineated. 

Again  the  Trapper  paused,  and  again  the  same  word, 
clearly  and  strongly  pronounced  as  before,  with  a  strong 
interrogation  in  the  tone.  And  as  if  to  reward  the 
Trapper  for  the  splendid  eftort  he  was  making,  to  stir 
the  sluggish  mind  in  front  of  him  with  a  thrill  of 


THE  MYSTERY  OF  THE  WOODS.  261 

anxious  consciousness,  and  to  make  whatever  thread 
or  filament  of  intelligence  there  yet  remained  respon- 
sive to  his  touch,  no  sooner  had  the  word  been  pro- 
nounced the  third  time  than  the  strange  creature, 
dressed  in  a  panther's  skin,  in  front  of  him,  slowly  lut 
decidedly  shook  his  head. 

"  God  be  praised ! "  exclaimed  the  Trapper,  as  he 
half  turned  to  Herbert;  "the  fool  begins  to  think. 
Whether  she  be  livin'  or  dead,  is  not  sartin;  but  ef 
nothin'  happens,  and  the  Lord  helps  the  creetur  a 
leetle,  we'll  sartinly  fix  the  hour  when  he  seed  her." 

Again  he  swept  his  hand  into  the  air,  and  called 
down  the  darkness  over  the  earth.  Again  the  stars 
came  forth,  and  the  sounds  of  night  echoed  over  the 
waters ;  and  again,  when  he  paused  and  repeated  the 
word  with  more  positive  movement  of  his  voice,  again 
did  the  man  who  was  following  him  give  the  negative 
motion  of  his  head. 

By  this  time  the  tension  was  so  great,  and  the  ex- 
citement of  the  scene  had  so  communicated  itself  to 
Herbert,  that  the  sweat  actually  stood  in  drops  on  his 
face ;  and,  when  the  head  shook  again,  a  sound  like  a 
groan  escaped  him. 

"  Never  mind,  boy,  never  mind,"  said  the  Trapper, 
as  he  again  lifted  himself  to  a  lofty  pose,  while  not  a 
change  came  to  the  muscles  of  his  own  splendid  face, 
lighted  as  it  was  with  the  effort  of  mind  he  was 
making.  "Never  mind,  boy.  The  trail  leads  back 
furder  than  I  thought,  but  we'll  find  the  girl,  and  the 
Lord  with  her,  too,  at  the  eend  of  it." 


262  ADIRONDACK    TALES. 

Again  the  motions  followed,  —  now  easy,  now  swift, 
—  the  voice  accompanying  the  motion ;  and  the  morn- 
ing by  the  pantomime  again  broke  over  the  world  •  but 
not  as  it  breaks  when  the  sun  rises  with  unclouded 
brightness ;  for  the  Trapper,  even  in  the  act  of  describ- 
ing it,  recalled  that  the  second  morning  back  had  come 
to  the  wood  with  fog  on  the  waters  and  clouds  over- 
head. And  as  the  Trapper  continued  his  description,  the 
woods  dripped  with  dampness  ;  the  fogs  rolled  heavily 
down  the  lake ;  the  fleece  of  the  vapor  clung  to  the 
tree-tops  and  the  shores.  And  when  the  sun  came 
through,  it  came  strugglingly,  with  flashes  and  lanes 
of  light  that  came  and  disappeared  —  shone  and  were 
swallowed  up  —  until  at  last  the  potent  orb,  mighty 
in  splendor,  triumphed.  And,  with  the  sun  standing 
above  the  crest  of  the  eastern  mountains,  day  flashed 
into  splendor,  and  the  tardy  morning  flushed  and  kin- 
dled with  unimpeded  brilliance. 

This  time  the  Trapper  himself  was  astounded;  for 
before  he  had  had  time  to  repeat  the  magic  word  with 
which  he  had  first  enchained  the  attention  of  the  object 
he  was  addressing,  the  strange  creature  clapped  his 
hands  together,  and  with  motions  of  affirmation  which 
shook  him  from  head  to  foot,  as  he  bowed  in  his  ex- 
cited eagerness,  said — the  first  word  he  had  doubtless 
spoken  for  years  in  human  speech,  — 

"Girl!" 

"Glory  to  God!"  exclaimed  the  Trapper.  "The 
fool  has  his  gifts,  Henry,  and  the  parpose  of  the  Lord 
will  yit  be  sarved," 


THE  MYSTERY  OF  THE  WOODS.  263 

"  Dead  or  living  ?  "  said  Henry,  with  a  face  tight  in 
every  muscle,  and  actually  whitening  under  the  strain 
of  the  exciting  scene  and  its  climax. 

The  Trapper  made  no  reply  save  that  which  lay  in 
his  acting.  With  motion  slow  and  solemn  as  motion 
might  be,  and  with  a  face  whose  every  feature  was 
settled  with  grief,  he  sketched  a  bier :  sketched  it  so 
vividly  that  had  it  been  in  actual  preparation  for  the 
solemn  reception  of  the  stiffened  form,  it  could  not 
have  been  more  impressive.  And,  when  the  bier  had 
been  made  at  his  feet,  he  turned  and  walked  a  few 
paces  aside,  and,  stooping,  lifted  a  body  and  brought  it 
to  the  imaginary  bier,  and  laid  it  thereon,  and  straight- 
ened its  proportions  as  one  might  straighten  the  form 
of  a  woman  and  not  of  a  man ;  for  the  dress  was 
arranged  even  to  the  feet,  and  the  hair  tenderly  lifted 
from  the  shoulder  and  from  the  bosom  where  it  had 
been  wandering,  and  smoothed  as  tenderly  back  from 
the  face  and  off  the  brow  as  if  grief,  solicitous  in  the 
discharge  of  the  solemn  proprieties,  was  bending  over 
a  beloved  form.  And  when  all  was  done,  and  Herbert 
and  the  man  could  almost  see  the  bier,  and  the  girl 
straightened  in  death  lying  on  it,  the  Trapper  rose 
from  his  knees,  and  looked  at  the  man  in  front  of  him. 
No  words  could  put  such  an  interrogation  as  the  eyes 
and  features  of  the  Trapper  put  to  the  man  clothed  in 
panther  skins,  as  he  straightened  himself  above  that 
imaginary  bier. 

Slowly,  with  something  like  a  startled  look  in  his 
own  eyes,  with  a  slight  knitting  of  the  brow,  the 
strange  creature  shook  his  head. 


2C4  ADIRONDACK  TALES. 

Herbert,  unconsciously,  perhaps,  as  the  last  scene 
was  being  enacted  in  the  pantomime,  had  drawn  nigher 
to  the  Trapper,  and  was  now  standing  within  arm's 
reach  of  him.  As  the  man  slowly  shook  his  head,  the 
Trapper  turned  towards  Herbert,  and  the  eyes  of  the 
old  man  and  the  young  man  met.  The  Trapper  slowly 
stretched  forth  his  hand ;  the  hand  of  Herbert  as  delib- 
erately met  it ;  and  the  two,  with  steady  faces,  but 
with  eyes  not  ashamed  to  confess  their  solemn  glad- 
ness, stood  for  a  minute  holding  each  other's  hand. 

Three  mornings  before  the  girl  had  ~been  seen,  and 
alive  ! 

For  a  moment  the  two  men  thus  stood ;  then  they 
released  their  hands,  and  the  Trapper  said, — 

"  The  council  be  over,  Henry,  and  the  time  for  actin' 
be  come.  The  girl  is  off  here  to  the  south-east,  for  that 
be  the  direction  that  he  p'inted  out,  and  I  don't  conceit 
it  be  fur." 

"  Do  you  know  the  woods  to  the  south-east,  John 
Norton  ?  "  interrupted  Herbert. 

"  Know  the  woods  to  the  south-east !  "  exclaimed  the 
Trapper.  "  There  be  no  p'int  in  the  woods,  from  the 
Horicon  to  the  St.  Lawrence,  or  from  the  Mohawk  to 
the  Canada  line,  that  I  don't  know,  boy.  I  not  only 
know  the  woods,  but  I  know  the  waters ;  for  I  sartinly 
doubt  that  there  be  a  stream  big  enough  for  a  mink  to 
fish  on,  or  a  pond  that  would  hold  a  beaver,  —  or  a 
muskrat,  for  that  matter,  —  that  I  haven't  left  the 
markin's  of  my  traps  on.  For  the  fur  has  been  scarce, 
for  the  last  ten  year,  and  trappers  be  many ;  and  a  man 


THE  MYSTERY  OF  THE    WOODS.  £65 

who  would  live  by  his  trappin'  couldn't  keep  in  his 
cabin." 

"  Where  do  you  think  the  girl  is?"  asked  Herbert. 

"It  was  three  mornin's  ago  that  the  fool  seed  her 

that's  sartin.  Now,  there's  no  signs  that  he  has  a 
boat  on  the  waters,  or  would  get  into  one,  ef  he  had  it; 
and  while  his  legs  be  good  un's,  and  I  don't  doubt  he 
could  kiver  a  goodly  distance  atween  sun  and  sun,  ef 
he  put  reason  into  his  legs,  yit  it's  not  likely  that  his 
legs  had  any  reason  in  'em.  And,  therefore,  I  conceit 
that  his  walkin'  would  be  a  good  deal  like  a  moose  in 
his  f eedin',  when  the  f eedin'  be  scarce,  —  this  way  and 
that,  and  a  good  deal  of  t'other.  And  it  don't  stand  to 
reason,  seein'  as  how  he  has  leetle  sense,  that  he  would 
strike  a  bee-line  for  anywhere ;  for  it  takes  a  man  of 
good  jedgment  to  walk  straight.  Leastwise,  I've  noted 
that  few  men  could  do  it  in  the  woods." 

"  You  think,  then,"  said  Henry,  interrupting  him 
again,  "  that  the  girl  is  off  here  to  the  south-east,  and 
not  many  miles  away  ?  " 

"That's  it  exactly,  Henry,"  returned  the  Trapper; 
"she's  off  here  to  the  south-east,  for  sartin,  for  the 
fool  don't  know  enough  to  lie,  and  in  that  he's  favored 
beyend  some.  I  sartinly  doubt,  Henry,"  said  the  Trap- 
per, emphatically,  "  ef  the  girl  be  a  dozen  miles  from 
this  beach." 

"  With  nothing  but  the  direction  to  guide  you,  have 
you  any  idea  you  can  find  her,  John  Norton  ?  " 

"Sartinly,"  said  the  Trapper,  — " sartinly  we  can 
find  her,  The  direction  is  everything  in  strikin'  a  trail, 


266  ADIRONDACK  TALES. 

Henry.  For,  ef  that  be  right,  and  nothin'  happens,  and 
ye  keep  goin',  ye'll  hit  it  sure  as  jedgment,  leastwise, 
ef  yer  eyes  be  good.  And  when  ye've  hit  the  trail  of 
the  girl,  ye've  found  the  girl." 

"  I  don't  understand  that,  John  Norton,"  responded 
Herbert.  "  She  may  have  gone  a  great  distance  since 
the  man  in  the  panther  skin  saw  her." 

"  Keerful,  boy,  keerful,"  said  the  Trapper,  "  ye're 
losin'  yer  jedgment  in  yer  'arnestness.  I  dare  say  she's 
kept  movin'  a  good  deal ;  for  it  ain't  in  human  natur' 
to  sit  down  in  the  woods  in  one  spot,  especially  if  ye  be 
alone.  A  lost  man  is  an  oneasy  man,  and  he  keeps 
goin'  till  his  legs  give  out,  or  his  heart.  And  the  legs 
hold  out  longer  than  the  heart,  as  I  have  obsarved. 

"  Ye  see,  Henry,  the  girl  be  lost  —  she  be  alone  in  the 
woods.  The  vagabonds  have  left  her  alone  to  die.  The 
power  of  man  be  ag'in  her,  and  the  power  of  God  be 
shown  through  the  power  of  man,  and  she  be  worried, 
no  doubt,  and  she  be  wandering,  like  a  leetle  fawn  that 
has  lost  its  mother.  I've  seed  'em,  Henry,  and  a  piti- 
ful sight  it  is,  too,  boy,  to  see  the  leetle  innercent 
things  go  creepin'  and  crawlin'  through  the  bush 
bleetin'  and  callin'  ontil  they  be  too  feeble  to  go  furder, 
and  they  sorter  tumble  down  in  a  leetle  heap  to  die. 
Ah,  me !  many  be  the  leetle  spotted  things  I've  found 
wanderin'  so,  and  I've  had  'em  come  up  —  yis,  Henry, 
I've  act'ally  had  'em  come  up  to  my  very  side,  and 
had  'em  take  my  finger  in  their  leetle  mouths  in  their 
hunger ;  and  I  carried  'em  home  in  my  arms,  and  fed 
'em  and  laughed  till  the  tears  come,  to  see  'em  caper 


THE  MYSTERY  OF  THE  WOODS.        267 

round  the  cabin.  And  the  pups,  —  Lord,  Henry,  the 
pups  knowed  the  difference  atween  a  leetle  fawn  and 
an  old  buck.  Sport  —  you  know  Sport  be  a  frisky  dog 
—  land-a-massy !  ye  oughter  seen  him  play  with  'em. 
And  Rover  —  Rover,  ye  know,  Henry,  be  an  'arnest 
sort  of  a  dog,  —  he'd  lie  on  the  hearth  and  sorter  look 
at  'em  out  of  his  eyes,  pretendin'  to  be  half  asleep. 
Ah,  me!  how  many  be  the  haps  of  natur'.  And  the 
lone  ones  that  be  lost  need  comfortin',  and  the  Lord 
forgits  at  times,  or  else  his  creeturs  forgit  that  orter 
be  more  mindful." 

"  So  you  think,"  answered  Henry,  "  that  the  girl 
has  been  walking  in  circles  as  it  were  ?  " 

"  That's  it.  That's  it  exactly,  boy,"  responded  the 
Trapper.  "  Ye  see  she  couldn't  walk  any  other  way, 
being  lost  and  ignorant  of  the  wood ;  and  where  the 
man  in  the  skins  here  seed  her,  we  shall  see  her,  — 
leastwise,  nigh  there." 

"  Have  you  any  idea  where  he  saw  her,  John 
Norton?"  * 

"  That's  it,  Henry,  I've  been  thinking  of  that.  Ye 
see,  there  is  a  lake  over  here  to  the  southeast,  —  and 
a  lonely  lake  it  be,  too.  I  doubt  ef  many  trappers 
have  ever  sot  a  trap  on  it.  The  half-breed  knowed  it ; 
for  I  had  a  scrimmage  with  him  once  on  the  north 
shore  of  it,  for  he  put  a  bullet  through  the  back  of  my 
shanty  one  night  that  went  through  jest  about  where 
my  head  ought  to  be.  But  I'd  smothered  my  fire  in  a 
leetle  too  much  punk  that  night,  and  the  wind  shifted 
arter  I'd  turned  in,  and  the  shanty  was  a  good  deal 


268  ADIRONDACK  TALES. 

like  a  Dutch  woman's  oven  when  the  wind  is  northeast 
and  the  chimney  isn't  more'n  half  open.  And  the 
smoke  sort  of  druv  me  out,  —  leastwise,  it  had  skewed 
me  round  so  that  I  laid  jest  crosswise  of  the  way  I 
should  have  laid  ef  the  fire  had  acted  naterally.  The 
smoke  saved  me,  Henry.  Leastwise,  that's  the  way 
me  and  the  pups  understood  it.  But  I  turned  out,  and 
sorter  got  even  with  him  afore  mornin' ;  for  the  next 
time  he  fired,  —  which  the  vagabond  did,  conceiting  he 
would  make  double  sure  I  was  lyin'  in  behind  a  spruce 
log,  —  I  opened  on  him  by  the  blaze  of  his  piece,  and 
then  I  give  him  the  other  barrel  by  the  sound  of  his 
runnin'  as  he  went  towards  the  beach ;  and  there  was 
a  good  trail  of  blood  on  the  leaves  next  mornin'.  I 
heerd  the  next  spring  that  he  laid  two  weeks  in  a 
hunter's  cabin  on  the  head  waters  of  the  Hudson,  and 
was  a  good  deal  interested  in  splints  and  yarbs  while 
he  stayed  there." 

"  And  you  think,"  interrupted  Henry,  "  that  the  girl 
is  on  that  lake  ?  " 

"The  signs  p'int  in  that  direction,  Henry.  And  I 
put  it  to  ye,  ef  they  don't." 

"They  certainly  do,  John  Norton,"  replied  the 
young  man  ;  "  and  ft  don't  seem  to  me  that  we  should 
lose  any  time  in  getting  off.  What  shall  we  do  with 
the  man  in  the  skin  here  ?  Shall  we  take  him  along 
with  us  ?  Could  he  help  us  any  ? '' 

"I  don't  conceit  he  would,  Henry,"  answered  the 
Trapper,  after  a  moment's  consideration.  "  Ye  see  ye 
can't  depend  on  him  for  anythin'  but  jumpin'  and 


THE  MYSTERY  OF  THE  WOODS.         269 

scratching  and  them  be  gifts  that  are  of  no  account  on 
a  trail.  Ye  see,  the  creeter  has  consorted  with  the 
panthers  until  he  has  forgot  himself,  and  conceits  he  is 
a  panther  himself,  and  ef  he  fell  into  any  of  their 
habits,  and  begun  to  cut  up  any  of  their  capers  on  us — 

"  "Well,  ye  see,  Henry,  I  don't  like  the  animils  that 
he  belongs  to,  and  my  piece  goes  a  little  too  easy  at  the 
sight  of  the  fur  to  make  it  actually  safe  to  have  the 
hair  in  sight.  Not  that  I  would  shoot  a  human  bein', 
boy,  onless  he  was  up  to  his  divilments ;  but  the  way  a 
man  dresses  makes  a  good  deal  of  difference  with  the 
man ;  and  a  panther's  skin  is  an  onreasonable  garment 
for  a  human  bein'  to  put  on,  and  I  conceit  that  he  better 
be  left  to  scratch  and  jump  as  his  foolishness  stirs  him." 

"  He  is  a  pitiful  object  to  contemplate,"  replied 
Herbert,  looking  at  the  strange  creature,  who  still 
remained  standing,  gazing  with  eyes  that  roamed 
from  one  to  the  other  of  them ;  "  it  seems  dreadful  to 
leave  him  here  to  the  fate  of  his  terrible  delusion." 

"Friend,"  said  the  Trapper,  addressing  himself  to 
the  object  of  the  conversation,  "friend,  we  must  be 
goin'.  I  sartinly  doubt  ef  ye  understand  a  word  I  am 
say  in' ;  but  I  don't  see  as  that  should  make  any  differ- 
ence with  the  talkin',  for  ye  have  did  us  a  sarvice ;  and 
it's  proper  that  ye  should  be  thanked  for  it." 

The  Trapper  paused  a  moment,  and  carefully  studied 
the  countenance  that  was  turned  full  upon  him,  and 
then  he  resumed  :  "  I've  studied  the  signs  of  natur'  for 
years,  and  few  be  the  changes  that  come  to  the  'arth, 
or  the  sky,  or  the  water,  that  my  eye  hasn't  noted ;  and 


270  ADIRONDACK  TALES. 

Fve  noted  that  there  be  a  beginnin'  to  all  changes. 
The  dawn  comes  afore  the  mornin',  and  the  dusk  afore 
the  night.  The  water  changes  its  color  afore  it  rains, 
and  the  warm  and  the  cold  can  be  seen  a  day  in  ad- 
vance in  the  shinin'  of  the  stars.  And  onless  my  eye 
deceives  me,  there  be  changes  comin'  to  yer  face,  friend, 
that  mean  somethin'.  The  devil  has  sartinly  had  ye 
for  years,  and  it  may  be  the  devil  may  keep  ye  yit  for 
years  to  come ;  but  it  looks  to  me  as  ef  the  Lord  in  his 
marcy  was  takin'  a  hand  on  yer  side,  and  yer  wits 
might  be  comin'  to  ye.  Ye  sartinly  have  sarved  him 
well  this  time,  whatever  may  be  the  tantrums  ye  may 
have  cut  up  in  the  past.  And  ye  have  'arned  help,  ef 
I  am  any  jedge,  and  I  don't  conceit  that  the  Lord  lets 
a  man  sarve  him,  and  puts  all  the  payment  off  for 
etarnity.  And  ef  anything  happens  to  ye  for  the  better, 
and  ye  do  come  to  yer  wits,  and  ye  need  a  cabin  and 
a  table,  jest  remember  that  old  John  Norton  will  take 
ye  in,  skin  or  no  skin.  And  now,  Henry,  let  us  be  goin'." 
So  saying,  the  Trapper  turned  toward  the  boat, 
which,  in  his  eagerness  to  be  gone,  his  companion  had 
already  reached  and  launched,  and  was  in  the  act  of 
seating  himself  at  the  oars,  when  the  Trapper  reached 
the  stern  of  the  frail  craft,  and  lifted  the  paddle  pre- 
paratory to  entering.  An  instant  sufficed  for  the  act, 
and  he  was  settling  himself  to  his  seat,  and  the  boat 
had  already  begun  to  move,  when  a  low  moan,  human 
in  its  piteousness,  checked  the  movements  of  the  boat- 
men, and  turned  their  eyes  in  the  direction  of  the 
sound. 


THE  MYSTERY  OF  THE  WOODS.        271 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

AND  this  is  what  they  saw :  — 

The  man  who  was  clothed  in  the  panther's  skin  was 
standing  on  the  very  edge  of  the  water,  with  his  hands 
stretched  towards  them,  with  the  gesture  of  supreme 
supplication.  His  face  had  lost  the  stolid  animal-like 
look  which  had  disguised  his  humanity ;  or,  to  be  more 
exact,  was  in  the  act  of  losing  it.  It  was  as  if  the 
human  soul,  which  had  been  long  dead,  had  heard  the 
voice  of  the  Master  of  life  who  was  calling  to  it  to  come 
forth,  and  had  already  appeared  at  the  door  of  the 
sepulchre,  —  not  natural  in  appearance  as  yet,  for  the 
pallor  still  resisted  the  coming  of  the  warm  currents  to 
the  cheek,  and  instead  of  the  garments  of  those  who  live 
with  the  living,  it  stood  wrapped  in  the  winding-sheet 
of  the  dead.  So  the  soul  of  this  unfortunate  creature 
—  the  soul  of  his  humanity  —  seemed  standing,  as  it 
were,  only  just  within  the  enclosure  of  his  countenance ; 
standing,  as  yet  uncertain  what  to  do ;  not  as  yet  fully 
possessed  of  its  senses,  but  struggling  to  re-assert  its 
long-lost  mastery  over  itself,  and  over  the  face  which  it 
had  once  animated  and  glorified  with  its  beautiful  and 
majestic  presence.  Thus  the  man  stood  on  the  beach, 
with  his  feet  washed  by  the  water,  his  hands  stretched 
imploringly  toward  them,  and  his  face  changing  in  its 
expression  from  the  animal  into  the  human. 


272  ADIRONDACK  TALES. 

"  I  seed  it  comin',  Henry ;  yis,  I  seed  it  comin',  boy, 
when  I  was  talkin'  to  him,  but  I  didn't  conceit  it  would 
come  so  soon ;  but  the  Lord  be  quicker  in  the  move- 
ments of  his  marcy  than  man  be  in  his  faith,  and  he 
never  wrought  a  deed  of  deliverance  yit,  to  them  that 
be  bound  in  their  senses  or  their  bodies,  that  it  didn't 
come  as  a  kind  of  surprise.  Yis,  the  Lord  sartinly 
works  in  secret,  and  ye  can't  tell  jest  where  he's  hidden, 
and  he  onkivers  his  ambushments  of  marcy  quicker 
than  a  Huron  does  the  ambushment  of  his  devilment. 
It's  a  great  mistake,  boy,  to  conceit  that  the  Lord  be 
slow  in  his  actin',  for  though  he  waits  till  the  jedicious 
time  has  come,  and  ye  can't  hurry  him,  yit  when  his 
counsellin'  be  over,  and  the  moment  has  come  for  the 
deed,  the  deed  be  did,  and  it  be  did  so  quick  that  it  sets 
all  yer  guessin'  to  nought." 

"  What  shall  we  do,  John  Norton  ? "  cried  Herbert. 
"  The  man  is  coming  to  his  reason,  isn't  he  ?  What 
shall  we  do  ? ', 

"  Nothin'  yit,  boy  ;  nothin'  yit.  The  Lord  be  man- 
agin'  the  case,  and  ye've  nothin'  to  do  but  to  lie  on  yer 
oars.  Keep  yer  eyes  open,  boy,  for  though  my  head  be 
whitenin',  and  I've  noted  a  good  many  queer  things, 
yit  I  sartinly  never  seed  such  a  sight  as  this,  and  it 
makes  a  man  feel  a  good  deal  as  ef  he  was  standin'  by 
a  grave,  or  a  cradle,  to  see  a  man  that's  been  dead  in 
his  manhood  bein'  born  ag'in,  and  that's  jest  what's 
goin'  on  there  on  the  beach,  as  nigh  as  I  can  jedge." 

It  was  indeed  a  strange  and  solemn  spectacle.  Above, 
the  sky  was  bright  with  the  brightness  of  day.  On 


THE  MYSTERY  OF  THE   WOODS.  273 

all  sides  Nature  showed  at  her  loveliest  aspect.  And 
on  the  beach,  with  the  Trapper  and  his  companion  only 
for  spectators,  a  man  who  had  been  insane  for  years, 
with  an  insanity  whose  delusion  had  separated  him 
from  his  kind,  was  coming  once  more  to  the  enjoyment 
of  his  reason.  Human  emotion,  which  for  years  had 
been  within  that  breast  an  unfelt  feeling,  once  more 
began  to  stir.  Intelligence,  which  for  years  had  been 
banished  from  the  eyes,  once  more  began  to  fill  the  orbs 
with  its  fine  discriminating  light.  The  lips  began  to 
move,  as  if  within  the  tongue,  so  long  unaccustomed 
to  speak,  was  striving  to  get  back  its  facility  of  motion. 
And  as  these  efforts  of  reviving  nature  were  being 
made  under  the  impulse  of  what  could  not  be  less  than 
Divine  power,  the  blood  began  to  come  and  go  in  flushes 
over  the  countenance,  and  the  body,  in  its  poses,  began 
to  assume  the  bearing  appropriate  to  the  human  form. 
But  the  effort  was  intense.  The  demon  within  was 
being  cast  out ;  but  the  devilishness  of  his  energy  was 
manifest  in  the  violence  and  rending  which  his  unwill- 
ing exit  caused.  The  countenance  was  contorted.  The 
muscles  of  the  face  worked  and  twitched.  Froth  stood 
on  the  lips.  The  body  began  to  be  convulsed,  and,  with 
a  mighty  spasm,  the  form  was  dashed  upon  the  beach, 
where  it  lay  grovelling. 

"  John  Norton ! "  exclaimed  Henry,  as  the  terrible 
manifestation  proceeded,  "  this  is  a  dreadful  spec- 
tacle!" 

"  Call  it  a  blessed  sight,  boy,"  responded  the  Trap- 
per as  he  backed  the  boat  with  his  paddle  toward  the 


274  ADIRONDACK  TALES. 

beach,  "  call  it  a  blessed  sight.  The  devil  be  sartinly 
goin'  out,  but  he  be  goin'  out  as  he  went  out  in  the 
days  when  the  Scriptur'  was  writ.  It  may  be  that  the 
tech  of  a  human  hand  and  the  moistenin'  of  a  leetle 
water  will  help  the  Lord  in  his  endeavors.  Leastwise, 
it  will  do  no  hurt ;  and  ef  I  can  do  no  more  than  keep 
the  sand  from  his  eyes  and  the  grit  from  his  mouth, 
it'll  be  somethin'  to  have  did  to  a  feller-bein'  in  his 
sufferin'." 

While  he  had  been  thus  speaking,  he  had  been 
backing  his  boat  toward  the  beach ;  and  as  it  touched 
the  sand  he  stepped  out,  and  proceeded  toward  the 
prostrate  form  that  lay  on  the  shore.  He  went  to  his 
side  and  laid  a  strong  grasp  on  his  shoulders,  and 
steadied  him ;  and  then  he  took  him  by  the  wrists  and 
held  his  hands  apart  that  he  might  not  rend  himself, 
and  bent  over  him  as  the  strong  bend  over  the  weak  — 
even  the  strong  in  the  fulness  of  health,  when  they 
bend  over  the  sick,  imparting,  by  the  motion  and  the 
contact,  the  vitality  that  is  needed. 

"Fetch  me  some  water,  boy,"  said  the  Trapper, 
calling  to  Herbert,  who  still  kept  his  place  in  the  boat, 
"  slip  yer  cup  from  yer  belt,  and  bring  me  some  water 
and  dash  it  in  his  face.  It  may  be  the  shock  of  natur' 
will  bring  him  out  of  his  spasm ;  for  the  struggle  be 
sore,  and  was  it  not  the  Lord's  doin's  I  would  sartinly 
say  that  the  sperit  would  be  torn  from  his  body ;  but 
the  Lord  never  kills  when  he  ondertakes  to  save,  and 
the  man  will  live." 

The  motions  of  Herbert  had  been  as  quick  as  agility 


THE  MYSTERY  OF  THE  WOODS.        275 

could  make  them,  and  when  the  Trapper  had  closed  his 
saying  the  young  man  was  standing,  cup  in  hand,  over 
the  convulsed  form. 

"  Dash  the  water  in  his  face,  Henry ! "  exclaimed 
the  Trapper,  "  dash  it  in,  never  mind  the  wettin'.  The 
wettin'  won't  hurt,  and  the  dryin'  can  come  arterward." 

The  young  man  complied,  and,  with  a  sudden  motion 
of  his  hand  dashed  the  water  full  in  the  face  of  the 
sufferer.  The  scream  which  issued  from  the  mouth  of 
the  tortured  creature  was  of  so  fierce  and  terrible  a 
sort  that  the  ears  which  heard  might  never  forget  it. 
But  with  that  terrible  cry  the  demon  passed  out  of  the 
man.  The  legs  straightened  in  their  weakness.  The 
muscles  of  the  arm  relaxed  their  tension,  and,  as  the 
Trapper  unclasped  his  hands  from  the  wrists,  sank 
motionless  by  his  side.  The  head  drooped  till  it  rested, 
as  the  head  of  a  man  that  is  dead,  on  the  Trapper's 
lap.  The  pulse  still  beat,  the  heart  still  kept  its 
motion,  but  the  prostration  that  followed  the  struggle 
and  the  agony  was  profound. 

"  Is  he  dead,  John  Norton  ?  "  asked  Herbert. 

"No,  boy,"  answered  the  Trapper,  "he's  beginnin* 
to  live.  He  be  weak  as  a  babe  because  his  strength 
has  been  the  strength  of  evil,  and  the  evil  be  gone  out 
of  him,  and  his  weakness  be  the  weakness  of  one  just 
born.  Bring  me  a  towel  from  the  boat,  and  let  me 
wipe  his  face  free  of  the  water  and  the  sand ;  for  when 
he  opens  his  eyes  I  would  have  him  look  clean  and 
nateral-like." 

For  several  minutes  the  Trapper  busied  himself  with 


276  ADIRONDACK  TALES. 

his  kindly  offices.  He  bathed  the  face,  and  dried  it 
with  motions  as  careful  and  tender  as  a  skilful  nurse 
uses  with  a  patient  that  is  lying  in  the  extremity  of 
mortal  weakness.  He  lifted  the  head  of  the  man  on 
to  his  own  breast,  parted  his  hair  in  human  fashion, 
and,  with  his  great  fingers  stroked  it  backward, 
endeavoring  to  give  it  its  proper  appearance.  He 
bathed  the  hands  and  made  them  cleanly,  and  placed 
them  one  on  the  other  in  decent  fashion.  And  then 
he  waited  —  waited  patiently  and  without  a  doubt  — 
for  strength  to  come  back  to  the  life  that  had  been 
born.  Waited,  saying  not  a  word.  And  over  the 
three  the  sun  shone  brightly.  The  blue  sky  stretched 
its  blue  dome.  The  wind  played  with  mellow  sounds 
through  the  pine-tops ;  and  silence  —  the  silence  of  a 
lonely  lake-shore  —  pervaded,  as  it  seemed  to  the  two, 
with  the  sweet  mercy  of  heaven,  rested  on  them,  as  if 
expectant. 

At  last  the  eyes  of  the  man  slowly  unclosed.  Dim 
at  first  were  the  uncovered  orbs ;  but  to  them,  gradu- 
ally, as  if  returning  from  a  great  distance,  came  back 
that  marvellous  light  which  makes  man,  man.  He 
opened  his  eyes,  —  opened  them  and  lay  still,  looking 
out  upon  the  world,  as  if  then  he  beheld  it  for  the  first 
time.  He  saw  the  sky ;  he  saw  the  trees ;  he  saw  the 
bright  light  of  the  bright  day.  He  saw  the  water 
stretching  out  in  front  of  him  so  clear  and  so  blue. 
Saw  them  as  one  who  had  not  seen  them  ever  before. 

But  after  a  while  a  look  of  recognition  came  to  his 
eyes,  and  the  light  within,  sharpened  through  the 


THE  MYSTERY  OF  THE   WOODS.  277 

dimness,  and  memory  that  had  so  long  slept,  woke  and 
began  to  connect  the  sights  that  he  saw  with  the  sights 
that  he  had  seen  long  years  before ;  and  never  to  his 
dying  day  will  Herbert  forget  the  look  of  those  eyes 
when  the  recognition  was  complete,  and  the  world  that 
he  had  forgotten  the  man  knew  once  more. 

And  then  —  and  this  was  the  first  motion  that  the 
man  made  —  the  will  made  its  connection  with  the 
eyes,  and  the  man  turned  them  slowly,  and  fixed  them 
steadily  upon  Herbert's  face.  Long  did  their  gaze  stay 
steadfast.  Long  did  he  peruse  with  puzzled  scrutiny 
the  young  man's  countenance,  and  then  he  moved  his 
head,  slid  it  down  from  the  broad  breast  on  which  it 
rested  to  the  fore-arm  and  knee  of  the  Trapper,  and, 
having  adjusted  it  there,  gazed  upward  into  the  great, 
grave,  strong  face  bowed  above  him.  Long  he  studied 
it  feature  by  feature :  studied  it  at  first  as  a  little 
child  studies  the  mother's  face,  scarcely  comprehending 
it ;  but  as  he  gazed  the  soul  grew  strong  within ;  the 
spirit  moved  itself  aright;  a  sweet,  fine  light  crept 
over  the  features  like  the  strange  gleam  in  iridescent 
glass,  and  he  said,  —  and  the  words  came  feebly  but 
clearly  uttered,  —  speaking  to  the  face  above  him,  he 
said,  — 

"Art  thou  God?" 

The  Trapper  answered,  — 

"  Only  thy  brother,  friend." 

Herbert  turned  away. 

After  a  few  moments  the  man,  whose  gaze  had  not 
moved  itself  from  the  Trapper's  face,  said,  — 


278  ADIRONDACK  TALES. 

"  Who  are  you,  then  ?  " 

"  I've  had  a  good  many  names,"  answered  the  Trap- 
per, "  for  the  redskins  have  a  gift  in  givin'  names ;  and 
I've  consorted  a  good  deal  with  knaves  and  honest 
ones  alike,  and  one  tribe  has  gi'n  me  one  name  and 
another  tribe  has  gi'n  me  another  name,  and  I've  seed 
times  that  I  was  a  leetle  onsartin  jest  what  my  name 
was ;  but  the  name  that  was  gi'n  me  fust,  and  the 
name  which  I  know  myself  by,  and  the  name  the  Lord 
knows  me  by,  leastwise  ef  he  be  at  all  keerful  in  the 
matter  of  names,  which  them  that  be  of  my  color  know 
me  by ;  yis,  is  John  Norton." 

The  man  made  no  motion  and  gave  no  sign  for  a 
full  minute,  but  gazed  steadily  at  the  face  above  him. 
He  was  weak,  that  was  evident ;  weak  with  a  weakness 
that  was  departing,  —  but  departing  slowly.  His 
powers  were  at  the  ebb.  The  incoming  tide-lift  of  the 
great  ocean  was  setting  in,  and  the  level  waters  began 
to  feel  the  prophecy  of  the  coming  flood ;  but  they 
stood  motionless  as  yet.  Then  he  said, — 

"Thou  art  good." 

"  Off  and  on,"  responded  the  Trapper ;  "  off  and  on, 
friend.  Nothin'  exactly  sartin,  onless  it  be  the  matter 
of  sightin'  when  meat  is  scarce,  or  a  vagabond  gits 
within  range ;  but  beyend  that  nothin'  is  sartin." 

The  man  didn't  understand  him;  —  at  least,  the 
faintest  look  of  bewilderment  came  to  his  eyes.  Per- 
haps he  was  not  strong  enough  yet  to  get  the  sequence 
of  connected  thought  or  sense  the  quaintness  of 
humorous  speech.  In  a  moment  he  asked, — 


THE  MYSTERY  OF  THE   WOODS.  279 

"Where  am  I?" 

"  This  be  Sandy  P'int,"  answered  the  Trapper.  "  The 
redskins  called  it  '  the  P'int  where  the  winds  always 
play  ; '  and  the  redskins  never  gin  a  name  to  a  man  or 
a  spot  yit  that  didn't  fit  the  natur'  of  the  man  or  the 
spot.  Yis ;  this  be  Sandy  P'int ;  and  a  cheerful  spot 
it  be,  too." 

"  How  did  I  come  here  ?  " 

"  Yer  trail  has  been  a  long  un,  and  a  crooked  un, 
too,"  answered  the  Trapper,  "  as  I  conceit,  and  I 
sartinly  don't  know  the  windin's  of  it ;  and  so  when 
ye  ax  me  how  ye  come  here,  I'm  obleeged  to  tell  ye  I 
don't  know.  Be  ye  strong  enough  to  set  up  ?  " 

"I  am,"  responded  the  man,  and  suiting  his  motion 
to  his  speech,  he  slowly  lifted  himself  from  his  reclin- 
ing posture,  and,  bracing  himself  with  either  palm  on 
the  ground,  he  sat  erect. 

"  What  is  this  I  have  on  ? "  he  exclaimed,  and  he 
looked  with  startled  eyes  at  the  skin  that  was  fitted 
to  his  person. 

"Ye  have  the  devil's  hide  for  sartin,"  said  the 
Trapper ;  "  yis,  ye  have  the  devil's  hide  on  ye.  I've 
sighted  on  the  fur  a  hundred  times,  —  and  ye've  stolen 
the  skin  of  a  panther  for  yer  kiverin'." 

"Where  are  my  clothes?"  was  the  sharp  interroga- 
tion. 

"  Friend,"  said  the  Trapper,  "  ye  be  a  leetle  easy  in 
yer  questioning  for  though  I  know  as  much  as  a  man 
should  of  my  gifts,  yit  when  ye  ax  me  about  yer 
clothes  ye  have  axed  me  more'n  I  can  tell  ye." 


280  ADIRONDACK  TALES. 

"  Take  off  this  dreadful  thing !  "  he  cried ;  "  take  off 
this  dreadful  thing.  This  is  not  the  garment  of  a 
human  being;  it  is  the  covering  of  a  beast." 

"True  as  jedgment,"  answered  the  Trapper;  "ye've 
hit  it  square  on  the  head,  and  that's  say  in'  a  good  deal 
for  a  man  that's  used  the  piece  as  leetle  as  ye  have. 
Yis,  yer  kiverin'  be  that  of  a  beast,  and  a  miserable 
beast  at  that ;  but  when  ye  ax  me  to  strip  it  off,  ye 
speak  in  yer  haste.  For  though  it  be  an  onhuman 
kiverin',  yit  breeches  and  waistcoats  aint  plenty  in  the 
woods,  and,  onless  ye  mean  to  take  to  the  water,  ye'd 
sartinly  best  keep  the  miserable  kiverin'  round  ye  till 
somethin'  can  be  did." 

"  What  can  be  done  ?  "  exclaimed  the  man  ;  "  what 
can  be  done  that  I  may  be  delivered  from  this  dreadful 
apparel  ?  " 

"Boy,"  said  the  Trapper,  speaking  to  Herbert,  "here 
be  need  of  a  counsel ;  for  the  man  has  put  it  to  us,  and 
ye  heerd  his  question,  and  I  ax  ye  what  can  be  did  ? 
For  the  man  is  sartinly  in  distress,  and  there  isn't  a 
store  within  ninety  mile.  I  have  some  breeches  in  the 
cabin ;  but  the  cabin  be  fur  off,  and  the  man  be  here  in 
his  nakedness.  Have  ye  anything  to  say,  boy  ?  " 

"The  blanket  is  in  the  boat,"  answered  Herbert, 
"  and  he  can  have  my  jacket.  Can  we  not  make  him 
a  pair  of  pantaloons  out  of  the  blanket  ?  " 

"  I  won't  answer  for  the  cut,  boy,"  answered  the 
Trapper ;  "  no,  I  won't  answer  for  the  cut.  But  the 
cloth  be  firm,  and  the  color  be  a  good  'un.  Bring  the 
blanket,  boy,  and  the  deer  thongs  in  the  starn  of  the 


THE  MYSTERY  OF  THE   WOODS.  281 

boat.  The  man  has  come  to  his  reason,  and  he  shall 
have  the  clothin'  of  a  man,  though  I  won't  answer  for 
the  cut." 

In  an  hour  the  man  was  decently  clothed.  The 
Trapper,  assisted  by  Herbert,  had  done  his  best,  and  a 
serviceable  garment,  at  least,  was  the  result.  And 
when  the  man  had  cast  aside  the  covering  which  he 
had  assumed  in  his  insanity,  and  clothed  himself  in  the 
garments  that  had  been  made  for  and  given  to  him,  he 
seemed  to  have  returned  fully  to  himself.  He  spoke 
with  intelligence;  he  acted  with  propriety.  And  it 
was  evident  that  he  had  come  forth  from  his  delusion, 
not  only  to  the  fulness  of  restored  human  understand- 
ing, but  with  utter  forgetfulness  of  the  wretched 
condition  in  which  he  had  so  long  been  enthralled. 
The  Trapper  and  Herbert  had  prepared  a  meal,  and, 
with  them,  the  man  had  partaken  of  it ;  eating  in 
silence,  indeed,  but  with  decorum,  and  even  with  the 
manner  of  a  gentleman.  Nor  was  his  bearing  lacking 
nobility,  or  his  countenance  devoid  of  manly  beauty. 
And  the  two  friends  felt  that,  whether  they  should 
find  the  one  for  whom  they  were  searching  or  not, 
directed  of  God  they  had  found  another  of  his 
creatures,  that  had  indeed  been  lost,  but  now  was  found. 

At  the  conclusion  of  the  meal,  the  Trapper,  speaking 
to  the  man,  said,  — 

"  Friend,  ye  know  my  name  and  the  name  of  Henry 
here,  and  it  may  be  ye  would  like  to  know  our  arrand. 
There  has  been  a  boat  load  of  vagabonds  in  the  woods, 
and  they  come  in  on  the  devil's  own  arrand,  for  they 


282  ADIRONDACK  TALES. 

had  stole  a  girl  from  her  home  in  the  North  country, 
and  they  brought  her  into  the  woods  to  leave  her  in 
some  lonely  spot  that  she  might  die.  Henry  and  me 
are  hunting  their  trail,  and  the  signs  sartinly  p'int  to 
this  lake,  and  somewhere  beyend.  The  knaves  them- 
selves have  got  off ;  and  there's  a  leetle  more  powder 
in  my  horn  than  there  would  naterally  have  been  had 
we  met.  Yis,  the  knaves  have  got  off,  but  the  girl  be 
left  somewhere  in  the  woods,  and  by  this  time  she 
must  be  nigh  starvin',  onless  she  has  died  of  fright  or 
some  evil  mishap  has  come  to  her.  I  conceit  she  be 
off  here  to  the  southeast,  and  I  thought  that,  perhaps, 
ye  had  run  agin  her  in  yer  wanderin's.  Friend,  have 
ye  seed  the  girl  ?  " 

"  I  have  not,"  said  the  man. 

As  the  negative  came  from  the  man's  lips  so 
promptly  and  decidedly ;  giving  such  a  direct  contra- 
diction to  what  he  had  intimated  in  response  to  the 
pantomime,  Henry  involuntarily  started,  and  threw  a 
glance  of  sharp  interrogation  at  the  speaker. 

But  the  face  of  the  Trapper  changed  not  a  single 
line  of  its  expression.  His  eyes  kept  the  calmness  of 
their  look,  and  his  features  their  tranquillity.  After  a 
moment's  pause  he  said,  — 

"  Yer  answer  be  straight,  friend,  and  ef  yer  memory 
be  good  the  boy  and  me  would  start  from  this  P'int 
with  heavier  hearts  than  we  hoped  to.  May  I  ax 
ye  where  ye  have  been  for  the  last  four  or  five 
days?" 

An  expression  of  pain  came  to  the  face  of  the  man, 


THE  MYSTERY  OF  THE   WOODS.  283 

and,  after  a  moment's  hesitating  pause,  he  said,  speak- 
ing to  both,  — 

"  Gentlemen,  I  do  not  know  where  I  have  been  for 
the  last  four  or  five  days.  I  do  not  know  where  I 
have  been  for  the  last  four  or  five  years.  I  do  not 
know  the  date  of  the  year,  or  the  name  of  the  month, 
or  what  week,  or  what  day  I  am  living  in.  The  past 
seems  to  me  like  a  dream  in  which  everything  that 
might  be  seen  was  in  blank  blackness.  I  remember 
a  house  that  was  mine.  I  remember  a  wife  that  died. 
I  remember  a  child  —  but  beyond  that  all  is  blank. 
Where  I  have  been ;  what  I  have  been ;  how  long  I 
have  been  in  this  trance,  I  do  not  know.  I  cannot  tell 
where  I  was  yesterday ;  where  I  was  when  you  found 
me.  I  cannot  tell  you  a  thing.  Would  to  God  I 
could ;  for  I  see  by  your  face  that  you  are  doing  a  deed 
of  mercy,  and  that  you  hoped  to  get  help  from  me." 

"  Henry,"  said  the  Trapper,  "  the  ways  of  the  Lord 
be  past  findin'  out.  Had  he  come  to  his  reason  sooner 
we  wouldn't  have  knowed  what  we  know.  Had  he 
come  but  a  leetle  later,  we  would  not  have  been  here 
to  have  helped  him  in  his  feebleness.  The  seasons  of 
doin'  and  not  doin',  of  happenin'  and  not  happenin',  be 
not  in  man's  hands.  The  Lord  brought  us  to  this 
Pint,  and  the  Lord  kept  us  from  goin' ;  and  I  sartinly 
believe  that  he  ordered  the  comin'  and  the  goin' 
jediciously.  One  of  his  creeturs  has  found  himself, 
and  we  with  His  help  shall  find  the  other.  And  now, 
friend,  it's  time  that  Henry  and  me  be  goin',  for  the 
girl  be  alone,  and  it  may  be  the  girl  be  dyin'.  I  don't 


284  ADIRONDACK  TALES. 

conceit  that  ye  will  be  of  much  help  in  the  sarch,  and, 
therefore,  it  may  be  ye'd  better  stay  where  ye  be. 
There  be  venison  and  bread ;  and  there  be  matches ; 
and  there  be  a  knife  and  a  hatchet.  Ye' 11  find  a 
shanty  in  the  swale  back  of  the  knoll,  that  I  built 
six  year  ago.  It  may  need  patchin',  but  the  work  wil) 
be  healthy  for  ye  and  keep  yer  thoughts  goin'  in  right 
directions.  The  victuals  will  last  ye  nigh  on  to  a  week 
ef  ye  ain't  wasteful,  and  I  conceit  that  Henry  will 
leave  his  pistol  with  ye ;  and  ye' 11  find  partridges  thicl^ 
in  the  woods  back  of  the  shanty.  Ye  needn't  worry, 
for  within  a  week  one  of  us  will  come  back  to  ye ;  and 
ef  we  be  lucky,  there  will  be  three  instead  of  one. 
And  now,  friend,"  continued  the  Trapper,  as  he  rose 
and  took  him  by  the  hand,  "  the  Lord  has  been  marci- 
ful  to  ye  in  yer  trouble,  and  he  will  stay  with  ye  when 
we  go.  Ye'll  find  the  sound  of  the  waters  on  the 
beach,  and  the  sound  of  the  winds  in  the  trees,  soothin' 
to  yer  mind ;  and  Natur'  will  keep  ye  cheerful ;  for  ef 
a  man's  heart  be  right  she  gives  a  man  company  that 
never  distarbs  him ;  and,  ef  he  has  wit  and  be  teachable 
to  larn  her  wisdom  she  will  make  him  wiser  than  them 
that  know  nothin'  but  the  larnin'  of  books.  Come, 
Henry,  we  must  be  goin'.  The  sun  is  gittin'  to  the 
west,  and  the  girl  must  not  stay  another  night  alone." 


THE  MYSTERY  OF  THE   WOODS.  285 


CHAPTER  XX. 

" HENRY  ! " 

The  word  came  out  quick  and  sharp;  and,  as  the 
Trapper  spoke  it,  he  slid  from  under  the  boat  he  was 
backing,  and  stood,  as  if  fixed  immovable  to  the  spot, 
with  eyes  fastened  on  the  ground.  His  companion, 
who  was  toiling  under  the  pack  basket  but  a  little  way 
in  the  rear,  startled  by  the  energy  of  the  Trapper's 
exclamation,  slipped  from  the  knottings  of  the  straps, 
and  was  by  the  Trapper's  side  like  a  flash ;  and  so,  for 
a  moment,  the  two  men  stood,  both  bent  forward  in 
their  eagerness,  and  with  eyes  gazing  steadfastly  down- 
ward. 

"  Yis,  Henry,  it  is  a  track,  and  sech  a  track  as  no 
animil  ever  made.  The  wind  has  blowed  a  couple  of 
leaves  away  where  the  heel  ought  to  be;  but  the 
broken  twig  be  left,  and  the  markin's  of  the  instep  be 
plain.  What  say  ye,  boy,  is  it,  or  is  it  not,  the  foot  of 
the  girl?" 

For  a  moment  the  young  man  made  no  reply  ;  but 
while  the  Trapper  was  speaking  his  eye  had  ranged 
forward  on  the  line  of  the  trail,  —  or  where  the  trail 
must  have  been  if  the  indentation  in  the  leaves  had 
been  made  by  the  girl's  passing,  —  and  the  result  of 
the  searching  glance  he  had  thrown  ahead  was  certainly 
conclusive.  For  he  laid  a  hand  oa  the  Trapper's 


286  ADIRONDACK  TALES. 

shoulder,  and,  with  the  other,  pointed  some  fifty  feet 
farther  on,  at  a  trunk  of  a  huge  beech  that  the  winds, 
perhaps,  twenty  years  before  had  prostrated. 

"  By  the  Lord,  Henry ! "  exclaimed  the  Trapper, 
"  that  be  a  sign  that  can't  lie.  Yis,  the  girl  sartinly 
sot  down  on  that  trunk;  for  the  moss  be  distarbed, 
and  ye  can  see  the  flake  that  peeled  off  when  she 
dropped  her  weight  on  to  it." 

Before  the  Trapper  had  done  speaking,  both  men 
were  bending  over  the  beech  trunk  studying  with  eyes 
trained  to  note  the  least  disturbance  of  Nature,  and 
hoping  to  find  further  indications  that  would  make 
conclusive,  not  merely  that  the  girl  had  passed  that 
spot,  but  the  direction  she  had  taken  when  she  left  it, 
and  the  time  that  had  elapsed  since  she  passed. 

"  See  here,"  said  the  Trapper,  and  he  laid  his  hand 
on  a  small  balsam,  but  little  larger  than  his  finger, 
that  grew  within  reach  of  the  fallen  beech,  "  look  at 
the  root  of  this  sapling,  and  tell  me  what  ye  see  ?  " 

"  The  earth  is  disturbed  at  the  root,  John  Norton." 

"  Sartin,  boy,  sartin,"  answered  the  Trapper,  "  but 
look  close.  The  sile  is  sartinly  distarbed,  as  ye  say, 
but  don't  ye  see  it  be  distarbed  on  the  furder  side  most, 
and  ef  that  doesn't  show  which  way  the  girl  took  when 
she  riz  from  this  log,  then  there  be  no  vartue  in  signs." 

"  How  so  ?  "  asked  the  young  man. 

"Set  down  on  the  log,"  answered  the  Trapper,  "and 
take  hold  of  the  saplin'  yerself,  and  lift  yerself  by  it, — 
leastwise,  help  yerself  a  leetle  in  the  liftin'.  Not  that 
way,  boy!  not  that  way!  The  roots  don't  give  as 


THE  MYSTERY  OF  THE   WOODS.  287 

they  did  to  the  pull  of  the  girl,  as  ye  lift  that  way ; 
and  that  shows  that  she  wasn't  lookin'  the  way  ye  be 
when  she  pulled  at  the  tree.  That's  it,  that's  it," 
added  the  Trapper,  as  the  young  man  pulled  himself 
up,  facing  slightly  in  another  direction,  "  now  the  'arth 
gives  as  it  did  when  the  girl  had  it  in  her  hands.  And 
she  was  weak,  too,  when  she  lifted  herself  from  the 
moss ;  for  she  put  her  whole  strength  into  the  pull 
which  helped  her  up,  so  that  the  root  that  runs  out  this 
way  was  pried  from  the  'arth  as  ye  be  pryin'  it  now. 
And  when  she  started,  she  started  off  here ;  and  her 
trail  leads  along  the  ridge  that  slopes  down  into  the 
swale.  Foller  on,  boy,  f oiler  on,  and  look  for  the  heel 
of  the  track.  When  the  trail  leads  up  ye'll  find  the 
print  of  the  toes,  and  when  it  leads  down  the  heel 
bears  the  weight.  Yis,  boy,  sarch  for  the  heel.  Ye'll 
sartinly  find  it  beyend  the  ledge  there,  where  the  bank 
slopes  steep." 

True  to  the  Trapper's  prediction,  the  young  man  had 
no  sooner  circled  the  ledge,  and  come  to  the  pitch  of 
the  hill,  than  there,  sure  enough,  plainly  to  be  seen, 
was  the  print  of  the  girl's  heel  as  her  boot  had  sunk 
into  the  yielding  mould. 

"  The  girl  was  weak,  boy,"  remarked  the  Trapper,  as 
his  eyes  caught  the  trail,  "yis,  the  girl  was  sartinly 
weak ;  for  the  steps  be  too  fur  apart  for  one  of  her  size 
to  make  when  walkin'  in  her  strength ;  and  they  be 
oneven  too.  Ye  see  where  she  stopped,  off  and  on; 
and  see  here,"  he  added,  "  here  be  a  branch  that  gave 
way  as  she  steddied  herself  by  it  in  passin'.  And  see, 


288  ADIRONDACK  TALES. 

boy,  the  gum  that  come  out  of  the  hole  that  was  made 
when  the  bough  gave  way  in  her  grasp  is  bright  and 
clear,  and  barely  stiff." 

"  How  long  is  it  since  she  passed  here,  John  Norton  ?  " 

"  Not  later  than  the  mornin',  boy,  not  later  than  the 
mornin'.  Yis,  the  girl  was  sartinly  alive  this  mornin." 

No  one  can  imagine  the  feelings  of  the  young  man 
as  he  heard  this  declaration  of  the  Trapper.  To  knew 
that  the  object  of  their  search  had  passed  the  spot  on 
which  he  was  standing,  but  a  few  short  hours  before ; 
to  know  for  a  certainty  that  she  was  alive,  and  might 
be  even  then  but  a  short  distance  away ;  to  know  that 
after  all  their  wanderings  they  had  come  to  the  only 
place  in  all  the  woods  where  a  trace  of  her  presence 
could  have  been  discovered,  caused  such  feelings  to 
possess  him,  as  no  one  less  interested  than  he,  or  one 
in  his  position,  could  have. 

"  Is  it  possible,  John  Norton,  that  we  shall  find  her  ?" 

"  Sartinly,"  answered  the  Trapper,  "  leastwise,  I  see 
no  reason  agin  it.  I  felt,  when  I  got  the  direction 
from  the  man  in  the  panther's  skin  on  the  P'int,  that 
the  girl  would  sartinly  be  in  our  boat  afore  night. 
And  now  I  know  that  the  thought  will  prove  true.  I 
wish  the  pups  was  here." 

"What  good  would  the  dogs  do  us?"  asked  the 
young  man. 

"Lord,  boy,"  answered  the  Trapper,  "do  ye  think 
that  Rover  has  consorted  with  me  these  twelve  year 
and  not  larnt  the  signs  of  a  trail  or  growed  jedgmat- 
ical  in  sech  matters?  I  can't  answer  for  Sport,  for 


THE  MYSTERY  OF  THE   WOODS.  289 

he's  a  leetle  heady,  and  his  nose  is  so  good  that  he  has 
not  edicated  his  eye ;  but  Rover  be  a  dog  of  a  hundred, 
and  his  nose  and  his  eyes  jine  works.  I've  often 
conceited  he's  more'n  half  human.  Lord,  boy,  I'm 
sartin  that  he  knows  a  doe's  track  from  a  buck's  arter 
the  scent  has  been  dead  half  a  week ;  and  many  a  time 
when  I've  been  trailin'  arter  some  vagabonds  who  had 
been  thievin'  on  the  line  of  my  traps,  has  he  taken  the 
trail  ahead  of  me,  and  I  never  was  quite  sartin  whose 
eye  was  the  quickest,  hisn  or  mine.  Yis,  ef  the  old 
dog  was  here  he'd  know  what  we  was  arter  afore  we 
had  come  to  this  spot  of  the  trail,  and  he'd  take  it  up 
right  here,  and  ye'd  hear  his  bayin's  by  the  girl's  side 
ef  she  be  livin',  and  over  her  body  ef  she  be  dead,  in  a 
good  deal  quicker  time  than  ye  and  me  can  thread  it 
out ;  but  we  don't  need  to  f oiler  it,"  — 

"  Don't  need  to  follow  it ! "  exclaimed  the  young 
man,  "what  have  we  come  here  for  if  not  to  fol- 
low it?" 

"  Easy,  boy,  easy,"  answered  the  Trapper.  "  The 
trail  is  here, —  that's  plain  enough ;  and  now  the  ques- 
tion is,  where  be  the  eend  of  it?" 

"  Where  is  the  end  of  it  ? "  asked  the  young  man. 

"  The  trail  runs  toward  the  lake,"  answered  the  old 
man ;  "  and  ye'll  find  the  eend  of  it,  and  the  girl  at 
the  eend  of  it  on  the  beach." 

"How  do  you  know  that,  John  Norton?  "  questioned 
Herbert  somewhat  incredulously. 

"How  do  I  know  it?"  answered  the  Trapper. 
"  How  do  I  know  where  to  find  a  buck  on  a  hot  day 


290  ADIRONDACK  TALES. 

when  his  trail  heads  towards  the  water  ?  The  trail,  I 
tell  ye,  runs  toward  the  lake ;  and  the  reason  is  because 
toward  the  lake  is  down  hill,  and  the  way  from  the 
lake  is  up  hill ;  and  the  girl  was  weak  when  she  passed 
this  p'int  —  so  weak  that  she  staggered  in  her  walkin', 
—  and  whether  she  knowed  what  way  she  was  goin'  or 
not,  she  would  keep  on  goin'  down  hill,  because  she 
couldn't  go  any  other  way.  When  she  got  to  the 
bottom  of  the  slope  here,  a  mile  to  the  east,  she'd  have 
come  to  the  water.  Yis,  the  girl  be  on  the  beach,  — 
that  is,  ef  she  was  strong  enough  to  git  to  the  beach ; 
and  ef  she  wasn't  strong  enough,  we'll  find  the  girl  on 
the  line  of  this  trail  as  it  runs  down  this  ledge  atween 
here  and  the  beach.  We'll  strike  for  the  lake.  There 
be  somethin'  in  me  that  tells  me  that  on  the  beach  of 
the  lake  we'll  find  the  girl." 

The  reasoning  of  the  old  man  seemed  so  conclusive ; 
the  judgment  on  which  it  was  based,  seemed  so  well 
supported  by  woodcraft  and  nature  alike  that  the 
young  man  made  no  objection  to  the  proposition ;  he 
simply  said,  — 

"  God  grant  it  may  be  so,"  and  followed  the  Trapper 
as  he  returned  to  the  point  at  which  they  had  struck 
the  trail. 

The  Trapper  again  resumed  his  position  under  the 
boat,  and  the  young  man  adjusted  himself  to  the  straps 
of  the  pack ;  and,  with  far  different  feelings  than  when 
they  stopped,  they  resumed  their  course  toward  the 
lake,  which  the  Trapper  assured  his  companion  was 
not  a  mile  distant. 


THE  MYSTERY  OF  THE   WOODS.  291 

"Henry,"  said  the  Trapper,  "the  sarch  be  about 
over." 

The  two  men  were  standing  on  the  shore  of  the  lake. 
The  Trapper  had  launched  the  boat,  and  Henry  had 
slipped  the  pack  from  his  shoulders.  Both  were 
wiping  away  the  perspiration,  which  their  struggle 
through  the  underbrush  had  brought  to  their  faces. 

"  I  do  not  know  why  I  should  doubt  your  prediction, 
John  Norton ;  but  I  cannot  credit  it." 

"  Hoot,  boy,  what  be  the  matter  with  ye  ?  I  tell  ye 
the  girl  be  on  this  lake.  We'll  find  her  on  the  beach 
beyend  the  P'int  there,  waitin'  for  us  to  come.  Ef  not 
on  the  beach  beyend  the  P'int,  a  leetle  furder  on.  It 
may  be  as  fur  down  as  the  shanty  where  I  used  to 
camp  in  my  trappin's ;  but  I  sartinly  doubt  ef  she  has 
got  so  fur ;  —  but  here  she  be,  ef  there  be  any  vartue 
in  signs.  Boy,  what  is  it  in  yer  face  ?  Say  yer  say 
out." 

11 1  will  admit,"  answered  the  young  man,  "  that  the 
signs  point  as  you  say.  That  the  girl  passed  the  spot 
this  morning  where  we  found  her  trail,  seems  to  me 
credible  ;  yes,  certain.  And  if  she  passed  the  spot  this 
morning  heading  toward  the  lake,  I  agree  with  you 
that  she  ought  to  be  on  the  shores  of  the  lake  this 
minute.  But  something  in  my  heart  tells  me  she  is 
not  there.  You  may  laugh  at  me  and  call  it  foolish, 
but  from  my  boyhood  I  have  had  at  times  impressions 
come  to  me  touching  persons  and  things,  concerning 
the  truth  of  which  I  could  give  at  the  time  no  explana- 
tion, but  which,  nevertheless,  proved  true  in  the  end. 


292  ADIRONDACK  TALES. 

Whence  these  impressions  come  I  cannot  tell.  How 
much  I  should  allow  them  to  influence  me  I  have  never 
yet  decided.  But  in  old  time,  I  know,  a  higher  intelli- 
gence maintained  its  connection  with  the  intelligence 
of  men.  Nor  was  it  inefficient  to  guide  them.  And  I 
have  often  thought  —  I  have  been  constrained  to  think 
that  that  connection :  the  divine  connection  with  the 
human  —  had  never  been  sundered,  and  that  men  in 
the  emergencies  of  their  lives,  and  previous  to  the 
point  where  great  occurrences  were  to  happen,  were 
moved  now  as  then  by  the  Spirit  of  God.  Call  it  what 
you  please ;  think  of  it  as  you  please,  John  Norton,  but 
standing  here  on  the  beach  of  the  lake,  on  whose  shore 
you  say  the  girl  is,  and  on  whose  shore  I  admit,  from 
the  evidence  of  many  signs,  the  girl  ought  to  be,  I 
have  within  me  a  feeling  which  contradicts  your 
saying,  and  which  denies  the  conclusion  of  the 
evidences  that  we  have  seen.  John  Norton,  the  girl 
is  not  on  this  lake." 

For  several  moments  the  Trapper  made  no  reply 
but  stood  leaning  on  the  staff  of  his  paddle,  looking 
steadily  off  over  the  water.  At  last,  turning  to  his 
companion,  he  said,  — 

"I  know  what  ye  mean,  boy,  for  I  have  felt  the 
same  feelin',  and  I  have  had  the  same  thoughts.  I 
have  met  men  among  the  redskins  that  were  great 
medicine  men,  and  some  of  them  was  gifted  in  the  line 
ye  speak  of.  I  have  camped  with  them  on  the  trail, 
and  I've  sot  with  them  in  council,  and  I've  heerd 
them  say  jest  the  opposite  of  what  the  chiefs  said,  and 


THE  MYSTERY  OF  THE  WOODS.        293 

which  the  wisdom  of  human  larnin'  and  of  them  that 
was  skilled  in  the  ways  of  the  woods  thought  must  be 
true.  And  I've  noted  that  arter  the  thing  had 
happened  the  chiefs  was  wrong,  and  the  medicine  man 
was  right.  No,  boy,  I've  lived  too  many  years  and 
obsarved  too  much,  to  laugh  at  ye  for  anything  ye 
might  say  in  yer  honesty.  And  it  may  be  yer  sperit  is 
right  in  what  ye  say,  but  sartin  it  is  that  we  be  here, 
and  the  sun  be  an  hour  yit  from  its  set  tin' ;  and  sartin 
it  is  that  afore  it  sets  we  will  know  whether  yer  sperit 
or  the  signs  be  right.  I  trust  ye  be  wrong ;  yis,  boy, 
I  sartinly  trust  ye  be  wrong,  for  I've  sot  my  heart  on 
findin'  the  girl,  and  I  know  the  girl  ought  to  be  on  this 
lake,  and  ef  she  ain't  on  this  lake  — " 

Here  the  Trapper  paused  a  moment,  and  then  added, 
—  "  Put  yer  pack  in  the  boat,  boy ;  yer  feelin's  may  be 
right,  but  our  duty  is  to  sarch.  If  the  Lord  himself 
should  say  that  the  girl  wasn't  here,  I  should  sartinly 
scout  round  the  shores  a  leetle  more  afore  I  left  it.  The 
Lord  has  his  duty,  and  we  have  ourn,  and  our  duty  is 
to  sarch,  and  the  sun  be  nigh  to  its  setting." 

And,  so  saying,  the  Trapper  pushed  the  boat  from 
the  shore,  adding,  — 

"  It's  jest  as  well,  Henry,  for  a  man  to  look  a  leetle 
into  things  himself,  even  ef  the  Lord  has  fixed  'em." 

A  quiet  stretch  of  water  —  no  ripple  on  it ;  and  the 
boat,  as  urged  by  the  Trapper's  paddle,  glided  through 
it  as  if  it  were  oil.  Herbert  had  not  lifted  the 
oars ;  their  pressure  was  not  needed.  It  was  the 
moment  when  eye  and  ear,  and  not  the  strength  of 


294  ADIRONDACK  TALES. 

muscle,  would  solve  the  problem.  The  boat  glided  on. 
A  little  stretch  of  beach  lay  on  the  other  shore.  How 
brightly  it  shone  in  the  sun!  The  Trapper  steered 
straight  toward  it.  And,  as  the  boat  moved  slowly 
past  it,  but  a  rod  or  two  away,  both  men  scanned  it 
with  eyes  that  noted  every  pebble.  But  the  yellow 
sand  lay  smooth  and  undisturbed,  save  where  a  deer 
had  marked  it  with  his  hoof  as  he  came  down  to  drink. 
The  boat  kept  its  course  and  glided  forward.  It  drew 
on  to  the  narrows,  and  ran  along  the  beach  that  made 
the  western  line  of  the  outreaching  point.  No  mark- 
ings there.  An  otter  had  flattened  the  sands  as  he 
crawled  out  of  the  water,  and  a  few  rods  farther  on 
flattened  them  as  he  slid  down,  but  beyond  this  no  sign 
that  life  had  printed  its  motion  on  them. 

The  boat  reached  the  very  point.  The  Trapper's 
face  showed  no  sign,  and  his  paddle  kept  the  steadiness 
of  its  easy  motion.  The  young  man  sat  facing 
forward,  his  face  slightly  sharpened,  and,  perhaps,  a 
trifle  of  the  color  gone  from  the  bronzed  cheek.  From 
habit,  his  rifle  rested  on  his  knee.  He  had  not  thought 
of  it,  probably  in  his  excitement,  which  it  took  no  little 
strength  to  conceal.  The  boat  glided  round  the  point, 
and  the  main  body  of  its  water  for  a  mile  stretched 
away.  The  Trapper  headed  toward  the  beach  that 
edged  the  northern  shore  with  a  stroke  as  steady  and 
true  as  if  he  felt  no  interest  in  the  revelation  that  lay 
so  short  a  distance  ahead.  Slowly  the  boat  drew  in 
toward  the  beach,  and  while  yet  forty  rods  away  the 
Trapper  said,  quietly,  — . 


THE  MYSTERY  OF  THE  WOODS.        295 

"  Ye  can  see  her  tracks  on  the  beach,  boy,  abreast  of 
the  balsam  with  the  broken  top." 

The  words  were  quietly  spoken  —  very  quietly. 

"I  see  them,"  answered  his  companion,  and  he 
spoke  as  quietly  as  the  Trapper  had  spoken. 

"  There  be  tracks  in  here  to  the  left,"  added  the 
Trapper,  in  a  moment  more. 

"  I  see  them,"  answered  the  young  man,  laconically. 

And  so  the  boat  drew  in  towards  the  beach,  —  drew 
slowly  but  steadily  in. 

And  the  two  men  who  had  been  so  faithful  in  their 
search,  and  who  had  now  come  to  the  culmination  of 
it,  as  the  one  felt  and  the  other  hoped,  spoke  as  quietly 
each  to  the  other  as  if  within  their  hearts  there  burnt 
no  glow,  and  in  their  minds  was  only  the  movement  of 
an  ordinary  experience. 

"The  girl  is  not  in  sight,  for  sartin,"  said  the 
Trapper. 

"  No,  the  girl  is  not  in  sight,"  answered  Herbert. 

"  We  will  draw  in  here,"  said  the  Trapper,  after  a 
moment ;  "  we  will  draw  in  here  and  see  what  the 
beach  will  tell  us." 

"I  think  we  had  better,"  answered  his  companion. 

And  so  the  boat  came  to  the  shore.  The  two  men 
without  a  word  stepped  out  upon  the  sands.  The 
beach  was  thick  with  tracks  —  tracks  of  a  human  foot  : 
of  a  woman's  foot ;  tracks  of  feet  that  had  come  and 
gone ;  of  feet  that  had  walked  up  and  down ;  now 
straight,  now  crookedly. 

"  Look  here,"  said  the  Trapper,  and  he  pointed  to  an 


296  ADIRONDACK  TALES. 

indentation  in  the  sand  made  by  a  heavy  animal,  "  what 
is  that,  boy  ?  " 

"A  panther,"  answered  his  companion,  and  he  spoke 
as  if  his  mind  took  no  notice  of  his  speech.  Men  at 
times,  in  great  excitement,  speak  so. 

"  Yis,"  answered  the  Trapper,  "  the  track  is  the 
track  of  a  panther,  but  the  step  is  the  step  of  a  man. 
This  be  the  track  of  the  man  we  left  on  the  P'int,  and 
here  is  where  he  seed  the  girl." 

"  Where  is  the  girl  ? "  asked  Herbert,  and  he  turned 
his  face  quick  as  a  flash  toward  the  Trapper. 

"We'll  see,"  answered  the  Trapper;  "this  way,  boy, 
this  way.  The  beach  be  writ  like  a  book.  We  shall 
find  it  all  here  somewhere." 

He  had  not  gone  a  dozen  rods  before  he  touched  his 
companion  on  the  shoulder,  and  pointed  a  little  in 
advance. 

A  deep  indentation  in  the  sand.  Two  indentations. 
The  two  men  approached  them.  The  Trapper  stopped 
and  leaned  on  his  paddle.  The  sun  shone  brightly  on 
his  whitened  locks.  The  young  man  lifted  his  hat 
from  his  head,  and  the  two  stood  looking,  as  two  men 
might  look  at  an  altar  where  their  mother  prayed, 
after  death  had  claimed  her. 

"The  girl  knelt  here,  Henry,"  and  his  voice 
thickened,  "  the  girl  knelt  here." 

"  Where  was  God  ?  "  asked  the  young  man  sharply. 

"Not  fur  away,  boy,  not  fur  away.  The  Lord  be 
nigh  them  that  kneel,"  said  the  Trapper  reverently. 
And  then  he  added,  as  he  entered  the  boat,  "Come 


THE  MYSTERY  OF  THE   WOODS.  297 

aboard,  Henry,  come  aboard ;  the  sun  be  gone,  and  the 
darkness  be  comin' ;  but  ears  will  sarve  us  when  the 
eye  fails.  I  tell  ye  the  girl  is  on  this  lake,  and  she  be 
livin'  too,  and  ef  she  moves  a  foot  or  makes  a  sound 
above  her  breath  afore  the  mornin'  our  ears  will  hear 
it."  And  the  old  man  pushed  the  boat  gently  from 
the  shore,  and  slowly  drew  along  the  beach,  noting  in 
the  gathering  darkness  the  failing  signs  of  the  wan- 
derer's trail. 


298  ADIRONDACK  TALES. 


CHAPTER  XXI. 

IT  was  afternoon.  The  sun  was  sinking  with  that 
slow  and  easy  motion  with  which  in  the  long  summer 
days  it  glides  downward  to  its  cool  evening  rest.  The 
least  hint  of  shadow  lurked  under  the  cedar  branches 
at  the  western  extremity,  and  hung  like  an  intangible 
vapor  of  darkness  around  the  tips  of  the  balsam 
branches.  But  above,  the  sky  was  bright  with  the 
day's  brightness.  The  surface  of  the  lake  gleamed 
an  answering  response  of  color,  and  the  western  sides 
of  the  pines  glinted  back,  through  all  their  glistening 
stems,  the  gleaming  beams  which,  in  losing  something 
of  their  heat,  had  gained,  or  seemed  to  gain,  a  higher 
reflective  power. 

Half  way  down  the  lake,  on  one  of  the  little  beaches, 
her  figure  brought  sharply  out  against  the  dark,  black 
background  of  the  balsams,  as  the  sun  shone  upon  it, 
stood  a  girl.  Her  hands,  lightly  joined,  hung  drooping 
in  front  of  her,  and  her  face  was  lifted  upward  to  the 
sun.  Thus  she  stood,  her  e3^es  gazing  at  the  sun,  as  if 
she  would  take  within  their  large,  clear  orbs  a  light  to 
last  her  through  the  coming  gloom.  Her  hair,  uncon- 
fined,  flowed  over  her  shoulders.  The  sunlight  shone 
on  it,  and  penetrated  it  until  the  light-brown  color  took 
of  its  warmth.  The  single  hairs  lying  freest,  bright  as 
the  beam  itself ;  the  depth  of  the  waving  mass  grew 
tawny  with  a  hint  of  richest  yellow,  like  Etruscan  gold. 


THE  MYSTERY  OF  THE  WOODS.  299 

She  was  tall.  She  stood  erect;  her  pose  firm;  no 
weakness  in  it ;  no  awkward  stiffness,  either.  Like  a 
delicate  shaft,  slender  indeed,  but  firm  of  material,  and 
set  on  an  adequate  pedestal.  The  face  was  tranquil; 
not  with  the  tranquillity  of  contentment,  but  of  pa- 
tience and  of  power,  —  the  tranquillity  of  one  who  has 
much  to  bear,  but  is  able  to  bear  it.  If  it  were  possible 
to  associate  so  common  a  feeling  with  such  an  uncom- 
mon face,  one  would  have  been  tempted  to  say  that 
the  girl  had  suffered  and  was  suffering  from  hunger ; 
for  the  pallor  and  the  first  symptoms  of  emaciation, 
whose  suggestive  and  pathetic  shrinking  precedes  the 
actual  loss  of  flesh,  were  plainly  visible  around  the 
sockets  of  the  eyes,  on  the  curvature  of  the  cheek,  and 
the  drawn  tightness  of  the  large  and  naturally  ripe 
mouth.  But  still  it  would  have  taken  but  a  glance 
to  have  caused  any  of  our  readers  to  recognize  that  the 
girl  standing  thus  on  the  beach  of  the  lonely  lake,  and 
the  girl  whose  picture  the  detective  had  shown  Herbert 
and  the  Trapper,  were  one  and  the  same. 

Slowly  the  sun  went  down;  slowly  but  surely. 
Could  it  not  stay  ?  Could  God  not  cause  it  to  halt, 
that  a  young  child  of  his,  thus  deserted  of  all  but  the 
light  of  the  blessed  day,  might,  at  least,  die  cheered  by 
the  sweetness  of  that  light  ?  So  her  eyes  prayed  as 
she  stood  with  them  fastened  on  the  descending  orb. 
For  five  nights  had  she  known  the  horror  of  darkness : 
the  horror  of  its  sounds  and  its  stillness  alike.  Five 
times  had  the  sun  gone  down,  and  left  her  standing 
upon  that  beach  alone.  Five  times  had  Night,  —  the 


300  ADIRONDACK  TALES. 

wild,  roving,  screaming  Night  of  the  woods,  filled  with 
animals  and  not  men ;  filled  with  beasts  and  birds  of 
prey,  and  wild  things  that  creep  and  crawl,  flutter  and 
fly  aimlessly,  —  captured  her  body  on  that  shore,  and 
tortured  it  with  shrinkings,  and  the  horror  of  uncer- 
tainty. And  now,  for  the  sixth  time,  the  same  dreadful 
Night  was  coming  on, —  coming  like  a  thief,  like  a  mur- 
derer, adjusting  his  mask  as  he  moves  on  his  errand, 
darkening  his  face  as  he  creeps  toward  the  performance 
of  his  awful  deed.  Once  had  she  stayed  the  night  long 
on  that  beach :  stayed  that  she  might  see  the  stars,  and 
have  the  companionship  of  orbs,  whose  beams  shone,  at 
least,  on  human  habitations,  and  to  whose  shining  hu- 
man eyes  somewhere,  at  least,  were  lifted.  One  night 
had  she  remained  there,  that  she  might  have  the  com- 
panionship of  the  stars,  —  the  evidence  of  life,  of 
mercy,  and  protection. 

Amid  the  gloom  of  that  darkness  which  had  mur- 
dered day,  and  cruelly  surrounded  her  with  danger 
from  which  she  could  not  flee,  and  against  which  she 
had  no  protection,  save  of  that  eccentric  Providence 
which  allows  one  sweet  innocent  creature  to  be  killed, 
and  snatches  another  sweet  and  innocent  creature  from 
her  doom !  But  even  on  that  beach  what  terrors  had 
come  to  her,  and  how  powerless  were  the  stars  to  help ! 
In  the  sand,  hidden  from  sight,  she  had  heard  things 
creep  and  crawl.  On  the  edge  of  the  bank  her  ears 
had  caught  the  stealing  footfall.  From  the  declivity 
of  the  overhanging  hill  whose  slope  rose  sharply  from 
the  shore,  she  had  heard  animals  come  down,  —  wild 


THE  MYSTERY  OF  THE  WOODS.        301 

creatures  that  called  unto  each  other,  challenged  each 
other  with  fierce  screams,  and,  when  they  met,  joined  in 
dreadful  combat,  until  the  very  woods  startled  out  of 
slumber,  screamed  back  to  them,  multiplying  the  wild 
outcries.  Other  footfalls,  too,  her  ears  had  caught: 
footfalls  that  had  no  voice  accompanying  them ;  foot- 
falls that  moved  slowly  and  cautiously,  and  were  inter- 
rupted by  long  watchful  pauses;  footfalls  from  feet 
that  would  advance  and  halt,  and  then  come  on  again ; 
come  directly  toward  her ;  come  till  they  reached  the 
very  border  of  the  open  space  ;  and  she,  driven  to  the 
water's  edge,  and  breathless,  the  blood  freezing  in  her 
veins,  would  know  that  in  the  darkness  wild,  hidden 
eyes  —  eyes  she  could  not  see  —  were  looking  out  at 
her. 

What  help  were  stars  ?  —  stars  that  were  far  off  ?  — 
stars  without  moods  or  sympathies,  that  she  felt  and 
knew  would  shine  and  twinkle  as  brightly  and  as  mer- 
cilessly, too,  above  her  dying,  above  her  dead,  as  they 
were  shining  upon  her  living. 

Five  nights  of  terror.  Five  days  and  nights  of  fast- 
ing. No  wonder  the  cheeks  showed  signs  of  shrinking. 
No  wonder  that  in  the  corners  of  the  mouth  and  round 
the  edges  of  the  lips  a  tightening  and  a  pallor  began 
to  show.  No  wonder  that  the  eyes  of  the  girl  were 
lifted  toward  the  sun,  as  men  in  dreadful  stress  of  death 
lift  eyes  to  heaven,  praying,  through  their  dumb  pite- 
ousness,  for  mercy.  And  yet  the  pose  of  the  body,  as 
it  stood  upon  the  beach,  showed  courage.  The  light 
form  lifted  itself  erect,  as  if  braced  with  the  might  of 


302  ADIRONDACK  TALES. 

inner  strength;  and  even  in  the  dark  depths  of  her 
eyes,  turned  as  they  were  longingly  and  entreatingly 
toward  the  sun,  a  light  of  finest  courage  shone  out,  as 
if  within  her  were  two  natures :  one  weak  enough  to 
need  companionship,  the  other  strong  enough  to  stand 
up  and  die  alone. 

At  last,  the  sun  went  down  behind  the  mountains, 
and  the  long,  narrow  lake  lay  in  deep  shadow.  Gloom 
captured  the  shores.  It  crept  out  from  under  the 
branches  of  the  balsams  and  from  amid  the  dark  pines. 
It  stole  duskily  across  the  bright  sands  of  the  beach, 
and  there,  pausing  a  moment,  began  to  flow  out  upon 
the  water  itself.  Little  by  little  the  air  continued  to 
thicken.  Dusk  deepened  in  it.  The  sky  above  lost  its 
bright  blue  tint,  and  the  great  vault  grew  gloomy.  The 
whole  world  darkened.  Nature  seemed  stricken  with 
grief,  —  a  grief  she  would  fain  hide,  and  so  adjusted  to 
her  fair  proportions,  the  drapery  of  darkness,  and  over 
her  bright  face  let  fall  the  gloomy  veil.  And  when 
night  had  fully  come,  when  the  lake  and  the  woods 
were  one,  because  the  darkness  which  obliterates  all 
distinction  was  spread  densely  over  all,  upon  the  beach, 
amid  the  gloom,  the  girl  still  stood  alone.  The  sixth 
day  had  passed,  and  the  sixth  night  had  come. 

What  should  she  do  ?  Should  she  sit  still,  and  wait 
the  dark  hours  through,  waiting  the  danger  that  each 
hour  might  bring  ?  No  :  she  could  not  sit  and  wait  for 
the  morning  to  dawn.  What  morning  ?  Would  any 
morning  ever  come  to  her  again,  unless  it  were  the 
morning  whose  light  shines  without  lessening  and 


THE  MYSTERY  OF  THE  WOODS.        303 

without  shade,  on  the  green  slopes  of  the  everlasting 
hills  ?  No ;  she  could  not  sit ;  she  must  walk ;  she 
must  move ;  she  must,  by  physical  action,  keep  her 
mind  from  brooding  terror.  Did  her  heart  sink  ?  Per- 
haps. Did  she  feel  that  the  gloom  was  death,  left 
deserted  as  she  was  ?  Doubtless.  But  she  fought  it 
nobly.  She  took  the  peril  out  of  peril  by  the  bravery 
of  her  facing  it.  She  counselled  with  her  intelligence. 
She  did  the  best  she  could  to  banish  her  womanly 
timidity  by  wise  philosophy.  There  were  chances,  she 
said  to  herself  —  chances  of  discovery.  Some  boat 
might  pass,  some  hunter  might  be  threading  through 
the  woods.  Her  enemies  might  relent,  retrace  their 
steps,  and  free  her  from  her  dreadful  peril.  Or  God, 
by  some  signal  providence,  might  yet  intervene  in  her 
behalf.  So  she  fought  her  fear  most  sturdily. 

She  rallied  her  courage  to  face  the  emergency  with- 
out shrinking ;  for  she  said  within  her  soul,  "  If  death 
itself  shall  come,  it  would  come  at  some  time,  and  what 
matters  the  place,  and  what  matters  the  time  ?  Could 
a  multitude  make  death  anything  but  a  solitude  ?  Do 
we  not  all  have  to  die  alone,  though  twenty  hands  of 
love  be  within  reach,  and  twenty  faces  love-lighted 
make  their  solemn  circle  round  us  when  our  eyes  grow 
dim  ? "  So  she  reasoned  with  herself,  both  foolishly  and 
wisely,  seeking  by  things  true  and  half-true,  alike, 
comfort  in  her  misery,  and  strength  in  her  weakness. 

She  rose.  She  walked  the  sands.  She  walked 
slowly,  for  her  step  was  growing  feeble.  Her  pro- 
longed fasting  had  begun  to  tell  upon  her  frame :  and 


304  ADIRONDACK  TALES. 

the  splendid  strength  of  her  young  form  was  insensibly 
leaving  the  limbs  it  had  braced  so  well.  She  paused, 
here  and  there,  as  she  walked,  felt  in  the  darkness  for 
the  cedar-stems,  plucked  them,  put  the  fragrant  frag- 
ments in  her  mouth,  and  toyed  with  the  pungent  taste 
with  her  tongue. 

This  she  did,  seeking  to  occupy  her  mind,  —  seeking 
to  relieve  the  dreadful  monotony  of  the  silence  and  the 
darkness.  But  she  was  weak  —  weak  from  hunger  — 
weak  from  lack  of  food.  She  had  not  felt  it  until  now. 
Her  health  was  perfect ;  her  temper  brave.  Her  native 
strength  had  fought  the  incoming  weakness  —  fought 
it  successfully  for  days ;  but  at  last  the  enemy  had 
conquered.  The  revelation  of  her  weakness,  coming 
to  her  in  the  darkness  of  the  night,  shocked  her.  It 
startled  her  with  a  new  terror ;  and  her  young  mind 
recognized,  as  she  steadied  herself  on  the  sands  amid 
the  gloom,  the  dreadful  significance  of  the  revelation. 
And  as  she  felt  the  failing  of  her  mortal  strength,  her 
soul  went  up  and  out  toward  Him  whose  strength 
braces  the  world,  and  unto  whom  all  weakness,  in  its 
trembling  and  its  terror,  perforce  must  cry. 

She  knelt  upon  the  sands,  and,  lifting  her  eyes  into 
the  darkness,  prayed. 

"  0  Thou  that  dwellest  in  light,  who  seeth  through 
all  darkness  and  noteth  the  dangers  that  lurk  therein, 
who  maketh  and  keepeth  the  weak  things  of  the  earth 
in  life,  from  amid  this  awful  gloom  I  pray  thee.  0 
Father,  hear  now  my  prayer.  Thy  child  I  am,  and 
sore  my  need.  The  terror  that  walketh  by  night  is  on 


THE  MYSTERY  OF  THE  WOODS.  305 

me,  and  I  know  not  where  to  fly.  I  shrink  from  what 
I  cannot  see.  Deliver  me  from  this  lonely  spot,  and 
the  lonely  death  that  is  fast  coming  to  me.  Be  thou 
Almighty  Father  this  night,  and  with  a  Father's  love 
send  help  quickly,  or  I  perish." 

She  stopped,  rose  quickly  from  her  knees,  and  stood 
erect,  her  hands  pressed  tightly  above  her  heart,  expect- 
ant ;  for,  from  out  the  darkness  a  sound  had  come,  a 
sound  made  by  no  stealing  beast  or  dreadful  creeping 
thing,  —  the  sound  of  a  paddle  dipping  the  water 
softly,  and  of  a  boat  moving  with  gentle  rippling 
onward  through  the  gloom,  moving  directly  toward 
her. 

The  next  instant  the  boat  touched  the  sand, — 
touched  the  sand  almost  at  her  very  feet, — and  the 
Trapper's  voice  from  out  the  darkness  hailed,  — 

"  I  heerd  a  voice  nigh  to  this  spot,  praying  for  aid. 
Girl,  where  be  ye,  for  Henry  and  me  be  here  ?  "  And 
then  a  light  flashed  through  the  gloom,  and  Herbert 
and  the  Trapper,  standing  in  their  boat,  saw  the  girl 
they  had  sought  for  so  long,  lying  prone  upon  the 
sand. 

"  Our  sarch  be  over,  Henry,"  said  the  Trapper,  as  he 
stepped  from  the  boat.  And  lifting  the  girl  in  his 
strong  arms,  he  added,  "  Bring  the  blankets  from 
the  boat,  boy,  and  start  a  fire  at  the  edge  of  the 
beach  here  by  the  big  pine,  for  the  girl  be  nigh 
starved  as  I  conceit,  and  has  fainted  in  her  weak- 
ness from  very  joy;  but  joy  never  kills,  as  I  have 


306  ADIRONDACK  TALES. 

noted,  and  she  will  come  to  herself  pretty  soon,  beyend 
doubt ;  and  when  she's  tasted  a  leetle  food,  and  drank 
a  cup  of  warmin'  drink,  she  will  be  strong  enough  to 
tell  us  many  things,  and  we  sartinly  have  many  things 
to  tell  her." 


THE  STORY  OF  THE  MAN  WHO  MISSED  IT. 


THE  STOEY  OF  TEE  MAN  WHO  MISSED  IT. 


CHAPTER  I. 

THANKSGIVING  DAY  had  come  and  gone,  and  the  old 
Trapper  had  retired  after  the  festivities  of  it  to  his 
couch,  and  had  yielded  himself  to  slumber.  His  sleep 
was  of  the  kind  to  be  expected  in  one  of  his  age  and 
habits:  sufficiently  profound  to  satisfy  the  wants  of 
nature,  but  by  no  means  so  heavy  as  not  to  yield  back 
the  sleeper  to  wakefulness  at  the  coming  within  range 
of  the  senses  of  any  sound  or  sight  that  was  unusual. 
For  some  two  hours  the  Trapper  had  been  sleeping,  and 
the  great  white  moon,  shining  at  its  full,  stood  nearly 
at  that  point  in  the  zenith  which  marked  the  midnight 
hour,  when  the  two  hounds,  who  were  lying  on  the  great 
hearthstone  in  front  of  the  logs  still  in  full  blaze  and 
glow,  lifted  their  heads  with  a  common  movement,  and 
gave  voice  to  a  low,  interrogative  growl. 

"  What  is  it,  pups  ? "  said  the  old  Trapper  with  a 
quickness  of  utterance  that  might  have  led  one  not  ac- 
quainted with  his  habits  to  imagine  that  he  had  not 
even  been  asleep ;  "  what  is  it,  pups  ?  "  and  he  rose  to  a 
sitting  posture  in  his  bed,  with  his  eyes  on  the  dogs  and 
his  senses  fully  alert. 

309 


310  ADIRONDACK  TALES. 

The  hounds,  as  if  feeling  they  had  done  their  duty, 
made  no  further  manifestation,  and  again  rested  their 
muzzles  on  their  extended  paws,  but  with  eyes  that 
still  remained  fastened  upon  the  door 

The  old  man  slid  from  the  bed  and  into  his  clothes 
with  a  hunter's  celerity.  But  even  while  doing  it,  his 
ear  caught  the  lightest  possible  sound  of  approaching 
footsteps. 

It  was  evident  from  the  looks  of  the  Trapper  that 
he  was  surprised.  The  steps  approaching  were  with- 
out doubt  those  of  a  man.  Had  they  been  those  of  an 
animal,  they  would  have  caused  no  astonishment,  for 
animals  of  the  larger  sort,  especially  when  compelled 
by  hunger,  were  not  infrequent  visitors  to  the  little 
clearing  in  which  his  cabin  stood ;  but  to  hear  a  man 
-Doming  towards  his  door  at  the  dead  of  night,  when  he 
supposed  there  was  not  a  human  being  within  fifty 
miles,  was  extraordinary  enough  to  quicken  his  atten- 
tion and  strike  him  with  surprise. 

But  whoever  the  man  was  that  was  approaching,  he 
was  evidently  in  no  hurry.  Occasionally  he  stopped, 
and  after  a  moment's  pause  would  come  on  again.  His 
steps  were  not  only  slow,  but  the  sound  they  made 
was  the  sound  of  a  step  taken  in  weakness  or  exces- 
sive weariness. 

Wondering  whom  his  midnight  visitor  could  be,  the 
old  man  seated  himself  on  the  edge  of  the  bed  and 
waited  his  coming.  The  dogs  still  lay  on  the  hearth, 
with  their  muzzles  on  their  paws,  and  their  eyes 
fastened  on  the  door. 


THE  STORY  OF  THE  MAN  WHO  MISSED  IT.      Sll 

The  steps  approached  the  threshold  and  stopped. 
For  a  moment  no  farther  sound  was  heard.  Then  a 
knock  sounded  upon  the  door.  It  was  a  weak,  timid 
knock ;  not  the  strong,  hearty,  friendly  knock  that  a 
hunter  delivers  on  a  comrade's  door ;  but  a  faltering, 
half  mistrustful  tap,  as  if  the  one  who  gave  it  had 
hesitated  before  giving  it,  and  was  by  no  means  sure 
that  he  had  a  right  to  give  it  at  all. 

The  old  Trapper  still  remained  seated  on  the  edge  of 
the  bed,  and  before  the  faint  sound  of  the  feeble  tap 
had  scarcely  sounded,  said  in  his  usual  strong  and 
hearty  tone  of  voice,  — 

"  Come  in !  " 

For  a  moment  no  response  followed  the  invitation, 
then  a  hand  was  heard  feebly  fumbling  with  the  latch, 
which  finally  it  grasped,  and  the  door  slowly  opened,  — 
opened  as  if  the  man  was  still  in  doubt  either  as  to  the 
propriety  of  his  own  conduct,  or  the  reception  with 
which  he  would  meet.  Thus  slowly  the  door  opened, 
and  a  man  stepped  into  the  room ;  a  dog  followed  the 
man ;  the  door  closed,  and  the  man  and  the  dog  stood 
in  the  firelight  fully  revealed. 

The  hounds  made  no  movement,  and  the  Trapper 
stirred  not  an  inch.  Thus  for  a  full  minute  the  Trap- 
per and  the  hounds  looked  at  the  man  and  the  dog ; 
and  the  man  and  the  dog  looked  at  the  Trapper  and 
the  hounds.  And  it  is  doubtful  if  ever  before  there 
stood  in  a  hunter's  cabin  so  singular  a  looking  man  or 
so  remarkable  a  looking  dog. 

The  Trapper  looked  the  man  over  from  head  to  foot. 


312  ADIRONDACK  TALES. 

and  with  equal  curiosity  studied  the  dog,  each  remark- 
able in  his  way.  And  as  the  reader  is  destined  to  learn 
of  the  peculiarities  of  both,  it  may  perhaps  be  well 
that  we  describe  the  two  singular  visitors  to  his  cabin 
whom  the  Trapper  thus  unexpectedly  saw  standing  before 
him. 

The  man  was  tall  —  remarkably  tall .  He  was  spare — 
unusually  spare.  As  he  entered  he  had  lifted  a  light 
cloth  cap  from  his  head,  and  his  countenance  was  fully 
revealed.  His  hair  was  black  as  black  could  be,  not 
over-plenty  in  thickness,  but  long  enough  to  reach  strag- 
glingly  to  his  shoulders.  Amid  its  blackness  some  gray 
was  mingled.  His  forehead  was  high  —  unusually  high 
—  and  very  prominent,  especially  in  its  upper  half.  His 
eyebrows  were  abundant  even  to  shagginess,  —  strong 
brows  of  coarsish  hair.  There  was  gray  hi  them,  too. 
His  eyes  were  large,  very  black,  very  mild  —  a  mildness 
that  bordered  on  plaintiveness ;  but  through  their  dim- 
ness there  shone  the  suggestion  of  a  gleam  and  glow  as 
if  their  mildness  might  be  set  on  fire  from  some  latent 
but  unsmothered  flame.  His  ears  were  large,  set  prom- 
inently out  from  the  head,  thin,  sensitively  edged. 
Between  them  and  the  eyes,  on  either  side,  was  a  recess 
beneath  which  the  cheekbones  projected  sharply.  The 
nose  was  large,  but  thin  and  finely  curved  at  the 
nostril's  edge. 

So  far  the  face,  if  not  strong,  was  remarkably  intel- 
lectual,—  a  face  that  denoted  ability;  a  face  that 
argued  mental  quickness,  finest  imagination,  and  the 
power  to  idealize  the  common  so  that  it  would  seem 


THE  STORY  OF  THE  MAN  WHO  MISSED  IT.      313 

extraordinary,  —  to  create  another  world  if  the  present 
one  should  not  suffice.  But  the  mouth  was  weak.  It 
was  small  in  size ;  too  small  compared  with  the  noble 
countenance  above  it;  the  lips  were  curved,  and  in 

spite  of   years  smooth  and  rounded  like  a  boy's, a 

mouth  of  remarkably  infantile  appearance  considering 
the  age  of  its  owner.  The  chin  beneath  did  not 
retreat,  nor  was  it  prominent  enough  for  power.  The 
curvature  of  the  cheek,  as  outlined  by  the  jaws,  was 
not  full  enough  to  express  determination  and  manly 
vigor. 

His  head  sat  on  a  neck  that  was  long  and  small. 
Exposure  —  for  it  was  without  cover  —  had  wrinkled 
it  and  made  its  skin  coarse.  His  shoulders  were  thin 
and  stooping,  —  such  as  students  of  unusual  height 
acquire.  His  clothing  was  remarkable ;  first,  because 
there  was  so  little  of  it ;  and  secondly,  because  it 
was  of  so  thin  a  fabric.  His  coat  was  evidently  un- 
padded,  of  cheap  material,  and  buttoned  closely  around 
him  even  to  his  neck.  It  fitted  him  too  closely  to  allow 
one  to  believe  that  his  waistcoat  was  either  of  very 
thick  or  very  warm  material.  His  pantaloons  could 
not  be  called  stout,  and  were  chiefly  remarkable  for 
their  decorations.  They  were  of  composite  material, 
and  suggested  Joseph's  coat,  without  its  splendor. 
The  old  Trapper's  quick  eye  noted  several  pieces  of 
buckskin  that  had  been  stitched  into  the  original  fabric 
in  different  places,  and  several  other  pieces  of  light 
cloth  that  bore  a  suspicious  resemblance  to  those  little 
bags  that  dealers  in  family  provisions  are  acquainted 


314  ADIRONDACK  TALES. 

with.  His  shoes  were  large  in  size  but  low  in  build, 
and  one  of  them  at  the  toes  resembled  a  doorway  suffi- 
ciently open  for  easy  exit. 

On  the  man's  back  was  a  pack,  or  what  might  have 
been  a  pack,  if  the  contents  had  been  sufficiently  bulky 
to  extend  it.  As  it  was,  there  was  a  look  of  leanness 
about  it  which  suggested  that  its  owner  was  either  not 
troubled  with  earthly  possessions,  or  else  was  too 
modest  to  display  them.  In  his  hands  the  man  held  a 
rifle  of  flint-lock  pattern,  very  long  in  the  barrel,  and 
of  an  appearance  which  suggested  antiquity.  A  little 
leather  pouch  and  a  small  powder-horn  with  a  wooden 
stopple  completed  his  outfit. 

Such  was  the  man  in  outward  appearance  as  he 
stood  within  the  doorway,  with  the  firelight  shining 
upon  him,  while  the  Trapper  with  steady  and  curious 
gaze  looked  him  over. 

The  dog  was  as  remarkable  in  appearance  as  his 
master.  He  was  of  medium  size,  of  the  Irish  breed,  in 
part,  and  showed  unmistakable  evidence  of  high  blood, 
but  blood  by  no  means  free  of  extraordinary  outcross- 
ing :  for  while  his  ears  were  long  and  thin,  as  an  Irish 
hound's  should  be,  his  body  was  clothed  with  the  coarse, 
stiff  hair  of  the  terrier  kind.  To  say  that  he  was  thin 
in  flesh  would  not  be  a  characterization ;  he  was  extraor- 
dinarily thin.  He  was  not  only  thin,  but  he  seemed 
conscious  of  his  thinness.  He  did  not  stand  erect,  but 
in  a  kind  of  doubled-up  and  shrinking  posture,  as  if  he 
felt  that  his  natural  length  was  out  of  proportion  with 
his  thickness,  and  he  could  in  some  way  improve  his 


THE  STORY  OF  THE  MAN  WHO  MISSED  IT. 

appearance  by  concentration.  Yet  he  was  by  no  means 
devoid  of  intelligence,  for  his  eyes  were  bright,  his 
muzzle  lean,  and  his  frontal  prominent.  He  struck  one 
as  a  dog  naturally  of  uncommon  parts,  but  who  had 
experienced  such  a  series  of  canine  disappointments  that 
he  had  lost  confidence  in  himself.  A  more  extraor- 
dinary looking  man  or  a  more  remarkable  looking  dog 
was  certainly  never  seen.  The  Trapper  rose  from  the 
bed  on  which  he  had  been  sitting,  and,  as  if  he  had 
rightly  divined  the  condition  of  his  strange  visitors, 
said,  — 

"  Stranger,  what  can  I  do  for  ye  ?  " 

The  man  looked  at  him  with  his  large  black  eyes 
and  replied,  in  a  mild,  deferential  voice,  — 

"  Are  you  John  Norton  ?  " 

"  Sartin.  Yis,  I  be  John  Norton ;  and  ef  there's 
anything  John  Norton  can  do  for  ye,  jest  state  it." 

"  I  was  taking  a  little  walk  through  the  woods  —  it's 
a  very  pleasant  night ;  I  don't  know  as  I  ever  saw  a 
pleasanter  night  —  I  and  my  dog  were  taking  a  little 
stroll  through  the  woods  —  we  are  given  a  good  deal 
to  strolling  —  and  as  I  was  standing  on  the  bank  out 
yonder  admiring  the  beauties  of  Nature,  I  happened  to 
see  your  cabin,  and,  feeling  in  rather  a  companionable 
mood,  I  thought  I  would  see  if  you  were  up.  I  feared 
I  should  interrupt  you.  I  hope  I  haven't  interrupted 
you.  Havel?" 

"Interrupted  me?  Lord,  no!  I  was  sittin'  here 
with  the  hounds  wishin'  somebody  would  come  along, 
and  yer  jest  as  welcome  as  ef  ye'd  been  expected  for  a 
month." 


316  ADIRONDACK  TALES. 

The  white  angel  that  took  into  heaven  the  old  man's 
sentence  —  which,  from  an  ethical  point  of  view,  was 
not  exactly  truthful  —  attributed  beyond  doubt  the 
slight  inaccuracy  of  the  remark  to  the  motive  which 
prompted  and  forgave  it.  For  the  old  Trapper  was 
not  slow  to  discern  that  if  the  stranger  for  whose 
coming  he  had  placed  the  plate  on  his  bountiful  board 
that  day  had  come  late,  he  had  come  at  last,  and  that 
God  had  sent  a  hungry  man  to  his  door.  And  so  he 
added,  his  whole  heart  moving  out  toward  the  stran- 
ger, who,  as  he  stood  before  him,  presented  the  strong- 
est possible  appeal  to  his  sympathies,  — 

"Stranger,  set  yer  rifle  there  in  the  corner  and 
move  up  in  front  of  the  fire.  Here,  pups,  make  room, 
and  let  yer  shivering  companion  have  a  chance  to 
warm  himself."  And  the  old  man  shoved  the  great 
arm-chair  in  front  of  the  blazing  logs,  and  actually 
took  the  gun  from  the  stranger's  hand  and  placed  it 
against  the  wall,  while  the  man  moved  forward  and 
quietly  seated  himself  in  the  offered  chair. 

The  old  man  busied  himself  for  a  moment  in  making 
additions  to  the  fire,  and  stirring  the  glowing  coals, 
while  the  stranger  stretched  out  his  thin  hands  and 
warmed  them  by  the  genial  blaze. 

"Don't  ye  want  something  to  eat?"  asked  the 
Trapper. 

The  man  continued  to  warm  his  hands  for  an  instant 
before  making  reply,  and  then  he  said,  — 

"I  am  not  particularly  hungry.  I  am  not  much  of 
an  eater.  I  don't  want  to  trouble  you.  I  see  you 


THE  STORY  OF  THE  MAN  WHO  MISSED  IT.      317 

have  cleared  away  the  dishes,  but  if  you  happen  to 
have  some  cold  victuals  left  from  your  Thanksgiv- 
ing dinner,  — I  believe  this  is  Thanksgiving,  —  is  it 
not?"  — 

"  Sartin,"  said  the  Trapper  ;  "  sartin,  this  be  Thanks- 
givin',  and  me  and  the  pups  had  a  great  feast,  and  I 
had  a  plate  set  for  ye  all  day." 

"  How  ?  "  asked  the  man. 

"I  had  a  plate,  I  say,"  returned  the  Trapper,  "set 
for  ye  all  day." 

"Indeed!  I  am  sorry  I  missed  it.  I  have  missed 
many  things  in  my  life ;  —  it  is  not  unusual  for  me  to 
miss  things;  but  I  always  get  them  in  the  end.  I 
always  get  them  in  the  end"  repeated  the  man,  with 
a  rising  inflection  of  the  voice.  "  You  don't  think  it's 
anything  very  bad,  do  you,"  — addressing  the  Trapper 
earnestly,  —  "for  a  man  to  miss  things  if  he  gets 
them  in  the  end  ?  " 

"Well,  stranger,"  returned  the  Trapper,  "I  don't 
know  about  gittin'  things  at  the  eend.  It  sartinly 
strikes  me  that  it's  a  good  deal  better  to  git  'em  by  the 
middle.  This  gittin'  things  by  the  eend  don't  sarve  a 
man's  parpose,  as  I  conceit." 

"Oh,  I  don't  know,"  said  the  man  dreamily.  "It 
don't  make  much  difference  when  we  get  what  we 
want  if  we  only  get  it  in  the  end.  But  I  am  sorry,  — 
if  you  had  a  plate  set  for  me  and  you  had  food  enough. 
Did  you  have  food  enough?"  and  the  man  put  the 
question  plaintively,  with  a  tinge  of  incredulity  in  his 
voice,  as  if  the  habit  of  want  had  made  him  incredu- 


318  ADIRONDACK  TALES. 

lous  as  to  plenty.  "Are  you  sure  you  had  food 
enough  ?  " 

"  Food  enough ! "  exclaimed  the  Trapper.  "  Heavens 
and  arth !  do  ye  suppose  me  and  the  pups  come  to 
Thanksgivin'  without  food  enough  ?  Ye  jest  set  there  a 
minit  while  I  fetch  ye  out  yer  supper."  And  the  old 
man  busied  himself  in  bringing  the  table  to  the  centre 
of  the  floor,  and  filling  it  with  the  ample  abundance 
left  uneaten  at  the  conclusion  of  the  meal. 

When  the  man  had  moved  forward  to  seat  himself 
in  the  chair,  his  dog  moved  forward  too.  At  first  he 
had  seated  himself  in  a  half-crouching  posture,  a  little 
in  the  rear  of  the  chair,  as  if,  however  sure  his  master 
might  be  of  the  cordiality  of  the  reception,  he  himself 
was  not  certain  of  his  welcome.  But  gradually,  a  little 
at  a  time,  he  had  moved  himself  forward  until  he  had 
actually  placed  himself  in  advance  of  his  master,  and 
was  now  sitting  on  the  hearthstone  scarcely  a  foot 
from  the  ashes,  and  even  then  it  was  noticeable  that 
he  shivered.  He  was  evidently  a  dog  of  a  great  deal 
of  character  and  perfectly  self-possessed.  Few  dogs 
could  have  been  thus  placed  within  such  close  proxim- 
ity to  two  of  his  kind  that  were  strangers  to  him 
without  either  showing  signs  of  fear,  or  making  some 
canine  advances  to  his  companions.  But  this  dog 
showed,  on  the  one  hand,  no  sign  of  timidity,  and,  on 
the  other,  no  consciousness  that  another  of  his  species 
was  in  the  room.  For  he  did  not  even  turn  his  eyes 
in  the  direction  of  the  hounds,  nor  in  the  direction  of 
the  Trapper,  who  was  bearing  the  savory  dishes  im- 


THE  STORY  OF  THE  MAN  WHO  MISSED  IT.      319 

mediately  past  him  to  the  table.  And  when  the  latter 
placed  a  large  platter  of  venison  on  the  hearth  in 
order  to  warm  it  within  a  few  inches  of  his  body,  so 
that  the  odor  of  the  meat  must  have  entered  his  nos- 
trils, he  never  by  the  least  movement  showed  conscious- 
ness of  its  proximity,  but  continued  to  gaze  with  sober 
attention  into  the  fire,  as  if  his  poor  frame  found  full 
satisfaction  in  the  ministry  which  the  genial  warmth 
was  rendering  to  his  system.  Once,  indeed,  he  did 
turn  his  eyes  up  to  the  face  of  his  master,  with  a  look 
absolutely  human  in  their  expression  of  gladness  and 
gratitude.  He  even  moved  his  forward  parts  so  that 
by  stretching  his  neck  he  could  touch  his  master's  hands 
that  were  extended  toward  the  warmth.  He  moved 
his  muzzle  gently  against  one  of  the  palms,  and  lapped 
it  with  his  tongue,  and  then  quietly  resumed  his  for- 
mer position,  and  again  gazed  steadily  into  the  fire. 

The  Trapper  was  not  slow  to  mark  the  action  of  the 
dog,  nor  sense  the  propriety  of  his  conduct. 

"That's  a  knowin'  dog,  ef  he  be  a  leetle  thin,"  said 
he  to  the  stranger.  "  Ye've  consorted  together  some 
time,  I  reckon." 

"  Yes,"  replied  his  master,  "  he  has  been  my  com- 
panion twelve  years." 

"  It's  a  goodly  time,"  resumed  the  Trapper,  as  he 
busied  himself  with  the  preparations,  "and  a  man 
who  has  feasted  and  fasted  with  a  dog  twelve  year 
naterally  grows  to  love  him." 

"  We  have  not  feasted  much,"  said  the  man ;  "  we 
have  never  had  much  luck.  We  have  fasted  a  good 


320  ADIRONDACK  TALES. 

deal,  and  fasting  makes  better  friends  than  feasting  in 
this  world.  But  we  shall  surely  have  our  feast  by 
and  by.  I  have  told  him  many  times  we  should  have 
our  feasting  by  and  by." 

"  I  trust  ye  may,"  answered  the  Trapper;  "ye  shall 
sartinly  have  a  taste  of  it  to-night,  both  ye  and  yer 
dog ;  for  the  vittals  be  plenty,  and  the  cookin'  is  as 
good  as  a  man  who  has  cooked  his  own  food  for  seventy 
year  can  make  it." 

"  Lucky,"  said  the  man,  —  speaking  to  his  dog, 
through  whose  frame  there  still  ran  an  occasional 
shiver,  —  "  Lucky,  our  host  says  we  shall  feast  to- 
night." 

A  human  being  could  not  have  understood  the  lan- 
guage more  plainly :  at  least,  a  human  being  could  not 
have  responded  with  a  more  positive  manifestation  of 
intelligence.  For  the  dog  turned  his  face  with  a  quick 
motion  toward  his  master,  his  ears  pricked,  his  eyes 
fairly  danced,  his  tail  swept  joyfully  from  right  to  left, 
and,  turning  deliberately  around  with  his  back  to  the 
fire,  he  fixed  his  eyes  upon  the  table  with  an  unmis- 
takable expression  of  eagerness. 

"  Come,  stranger,"  said  the  Trapper,  "  kick  off  yer 
shoes  and  strip  off  yer  stockin's  and  pull  on  these 
warm  socks ; "  and  the  old  man  tossed  a  pair,  knit  of 
coarsest  yarn,  onto  the  hearthstone ;  "  and  then  move 
up  to  the  table  and  fill  yerself  and  yer  dog,  who  is 
mighty  nigh  starvation,  as  I  jedge.  Ye'll  both  feel  better 
arter  yer  full,  for  it's  a  cold  night,  and  I  conceit  yer 
tramp  has  been  a  long  un." 


THE  STORY  OF  THE  MAN  WHO  MISSED  IT.      321 

The  man  did  as  he  was  bidden.  He  untied  his  shoes 
and  removed  them  from  his  feet.  His  stockings  were 
not  of  the  warmest  nor  free  of  holes,  and  when  he  had 
pulled  the  thick,  warm  socks  onto  his  feet,  he  rose  and 
moved  to  the  table  with  a  look  of  contentment  and 
happy  expectation  that  seemed  to  lift  twenty  years 
from  his  record. 

The  amount  of  food  on  the  table  seemed  to  astonish 
him.  For  a  moment  he  held  his  knife  and  fork  idly  in 
his  hands,  while  his  gaze  ranged  over  the  bountiful 
board  as  if  he  was  in  doubt  from  which  dish  to  help 
himself  first,  while  his  eyes  had  the  peculiar  eager 
look  of  one  who  was  so  hungry  that  he  could  not  sup- 
press the  evidences  of  satisfaction  which  the  presence 
of  food  had  brought  to  his  face. 

"Ye  seem  a  leetle  in  doubt,"  said  the  Trapper, 
"  which  of  the  meats  to  try  fust.  And  I  conceit  the 
reason  of  yer  feelin,'  for  more'n  once  have  I  fasted  my- 
self when  a  young  man,  in  the  old  wars,  and  I  was  out 
skirmishing  on  the  trail  of  the  inemy,  when  the  sound 
of  yer  gun  would  bring  a  hundred  of  the  vagabonds 
onto  ye  in  a  minit.  Yis,  I've  fasted  in  the  midst  of 
plenty,  and  I've  knowed  what  it  is  to  come  to  a  feast 
suddenly  when  the  stomach  was  empty  and  the  cravin' 
of  natur'  unnaterally  strong  in  me.  My  advice  to  ye 
is  that  ye  try  the  vension  haunch,  for  it's  the  only  meat 
that  a  man  can  fairly  fill  himself  with  and  not  feel 
sort  of  oneasy  arterwards.  Yis,  try  the  venison, 
stranger,  for  the  buck  was  a  good  un,  and  ye'll  find  the 
juices  will  f oiler  yer  knife." 


322  ADIRONDACK  TALES. 

The  man  waited  no  longer.  He  cut  a  slice  of  the 
venison  of  a  size  that  showed  that  his  necessities  were 
great  or  his  determination  high.  The  Trapper's  eyes 
fairly  danced  as  he  saw  him  land  the  piece  on  his  plate. 
Yet  hungry  as  the  man  was,  he  fed  himself  with  en- 
tire propriety.  But  his  knife  and  fork  were  neverthe- 
less quick  in  their  movements,  and  it  was  evident  that 
the  keen  sense  of  his  hunger  had  made  him  for  a  time 
oblivious  of  his  surroundings ;  for  he  spoke  not  a  word 
to  his  host,  and  his  countenance  never  lost  the  look  of 
determined  eagerness.  He  had  certainly  more  than 
half  finished  the  huge  piece  of  venison  with  which  he 
had  helped  himself,  when  he  paused,  and,  turning  to  his 
dog,  who  stood  at  his  side  looking  up  into  his  face,  he 
said, — 

"  Lucky,  will  you  forgive  me  ?  " 

The  words  were  spoken  as  they  might  have  been  to 
a  human  companion  whom  inadvertently  he  had 
slighted,  or  of  whose  presence  he  had  become  unmind- 
ful when  h'e  should  have  been  specially  mindful  of  it. 
The  tone  could  not  have  been  more  apologetic  had 
the  words  been  addressed  to  a  man  and  not  to  a  dog, 
nor  could  they  have  been  received  more  intelligently 
than  the  dog  received  them.  He  wagged  his  tail  good- 
naturedly,  while  his  eyes  gave  his  master  a  look  of 
affection  that  no  one  could  fail  to  understand.  The 
man  cut  the  remaining  part  of  the  piece  into  sections, 
and  gave  each  mouthful  to  the  dog.  The  dog  ate  with 
the  same  eagerness  as  his  master,  and,  we  may  say,  with 
the  same  propriety,  for  he  stood  steadfastly  in  his  posi- 


THE  STORY  OF  THE  MAN  WHO  MISSED  IT.      323 

tion,  made  no  indecorous  movement  of  haste,  but  re- 
ceived the  morsels  from  his  master's  hand  with  such 
thankfulness  as  only  a  dog  when  hungry  can  show  to 
the  master  who  feeds  him. 

We  need  not  say  that  the  Trapper  had  been  no  care- 
less spectator  of  the  spectacle  presented  by  the  man 
and  the  dog.  Nor  was  he  untouched  by  the  evidence  of 
affection  existing  between  the  two.  But  profound  as 
was  his  pity  for  his  strange  and  nearly  starved  guest, 
the  sense  of  humor  in  him  was  too  strong  not  to  be 
stirred. 

"  I  sartinly  think,  stranger,"  said  he,  "  that  we'd  better 
jine  works,  for  I  conceit  I  can  help  ye  out  a  leetle. 
Yer  dog  sartinly  looks  empty,  and  it'll  take  a  good  deal 
of  meat  to  fill  him.  I  don't  conceit  he's  been  very 
familiar  with  vittals  lately,  but  I  can  see  he  has  the 
true  idee  of  eatin ' ;  so  if  ye'll  jest  send  him  this  side 
of  the  table,  I'll  feed  him  while  ye  feed  yerself .  There 
can  be  a  good  deal  of  weight  added  to  yer  dog  by 
reasonable  management  afore  ye  be  ready  to  move 
back  from  the  table." 

"  I  thank  you,"  said  the  man,  as  he  helped  himself 
to  another  bountiful  supply,  "  but  Lucky  and  I  always 
eat  together,  when  we  have  anything  to  eat,  and  I 
doubt  if  he  would  take  food  from  a  stranger.  I 
always  divide  my  food  with  him.  Don't  you  think 
that  a  man  should  always  divide  his  food  with  his  dog, 
John  Norton?" 

"  Yis,"  said  the  Trapper,  somewhat  hesitatingly,  "  as  a 
rule,  I  sartinly  think  yer  be  right ;  but  ef  the  master  be 


324  ADIRONDACK  TALES. 

hungry,  and  the  dog  is  a  good-sized  un,  and  actally 
empty,  and  vittals  be  scarce,  I  can't  say,  —  no,  I 
sartinly  can't  say,  that  the  man  should  divide  with  the 
dog  at  the  beginnin'  of  the  eatin'.  A  leetle  later  on 
perhaps  he  should  divide,  —  a  leetle  later  on,  as  I 
conceit." 

The  man  was  evidently  not  devoid  of  humor  himself. 
For  the  first  time  since  he  entered  the  cabin,  and  for 
the  first  time  for  many  days  perhaps,  a  pleased  expres- 
sion came  into  his  face.  The  suggestion  of  a  smile 
played  round  his  lips,  and  he  looked  good-naturedly 
into  the  face  of  the  old  man  sitting  opposite,  whose 
countenance  showed  through  its  lines  that  semi-witty 
expression  which  never  seems  so  witty  as  when  it  beams 
from  the  face  of  the  aged.  But  he  evidently  did  not 
assent  to  the  opinion  of  the  Trapper,  for,  as  the  eating 
progressed,  at  every  mouthful  with  which  he  fed  him- 
self he  gave  an  equal  portion  to  his  canine  companion. 

It  is  doubtful  if  ever  a  feast  was  more  heartily  eaten 
or  enjoyed.  Of  food  there  was  enough,  and  the  man 
ate  his  fill,  —  not  only  ate  himself,  but  gave  to  his  dog, 
till  it  was  evident  that  the  hunger  of  both  was  appeased. 
At  last  he  shoved  his  chair  back  from  the  table,  and, 
with  a  happy  expression  on  his  face,  he  said,  — 

"  Lucky,  we've  had  a  feast  to-night.  I  told  you  it 
would  come  by  and  by.  We  must  never  be  discouraged 
again,  Lucky,  —  no,  we  will  never  be  discouraged  again, 
will  we?"  ' 

The  dog  fairly  shook  himself  in  his  delighted  indorse- 
ment of  his  master's  affirmation.  He  actually  frisked 


THE  STORY  OF  THE  MAN  WHO  MISSED  IT.      325 

his  assent,  and  opened  his  mouth  as  if  he  would  give 
voluble  expression  to  the  pledge  demanded  of  him. 
The  Trapper  laughed,  —  laughed  as  a  host  will  when 
he  sees  the  happiness  of  his  guests,  to  whom,  with  his 
own  hands,  from  his  own  store,  in  the  benevolence  of 
his  heart,  he  has  ministered.  And  he  said,  from  the 
impulse  of  his  good-nature,  — 

"  Stranger,  is  there  anything  else  I  can  do  for  ye  ?  " 

"  John  Norton,"  said  the  man,  "  I  came  to  your  door 
a  stranger,  and  you  took  me  in ;  I  was  a-hungered,  and 
you  gave  me  meat;  I  was  cold  and  weary,  and  you 
warmed  and  rested  me ;  I  was  unhappy,  and  you  made 
me  glad.  I  and  my  dog  thank  you  for  your  goodness. 
And  may  the  Lord  bless  you  for  what  you  have  done 
for  one  of  the  least  of  his  children." 

The  man  said  this  gravely,  tenderly,  gratefully. 
And  as  he  said  it,  with  a  motion  as  natural  as  true 
courtesy  and  gratitude  could  make  it,  he  laid  a  hand 
on  his  heart  and  bowed  to  the  Trapper. 

The  Trapper  was  visibly  affected  by  the  acknowledg- 
ment of  his  guest.  His  face,  in  its  sobered  sweetness, 
acknowledged  the  sentiment  of  the  stranger,  and  re- 
turned it  with  equally  unconscious  courtesy. 

"Ye  are  not  the  fust  man,"  he  replied,  "that  has 
come  to  my  camp  empty ;  for  more'n  once  have  I 
shared  my  leetle  with  the  stranger,  and  more'n  once 
has  the  stranger  shared  his  leetle  with  me.  There's  a 
good  deal  of  honest  givin'  and  takin'  in  the  world  ; 
leastwise,  there's  a  good  deal  in  the  woods  when  the 
fortunit  and  the  unfortunit  meet.  And  Henry  says 


326  ADIRONDACK  TALES. 

that  the  same  is  true  in  the  settlements,  and  I  sartinly 
conceit  that  the  Lord  has  knowledge  of  the  honest 
givin'  and  takin'  between  his  creeturs  that  have,  and 
his  creeturs  that  haven't,  whether  it  be  done  in  the 
woods  or  in  the  clearin's." 

As  the  old  man  mentioned  the  word  settlement,  a 
look  of  pain  came  to  the  face  of  his  guest,  as  if  the 
mention  of  cities  had  quickened  unpleasant  recollec- 
tions. When  the  Trapper  had  concluded  he  re- 
plied, — 

"  I  know  not  whom  you  call  by  the  name  of  Henry, 
nor  would  I  dispute  his  word,  but  my  experience  of 
cities  and  of  the  men  that  live  in  them  has  not  been  of 
a  character  to  impress  me  with  either  their  generosity 
or  their  justice.  I  have  found  men  eager  to  get  and  to 
keep,  but  I  have  not  found  them  eager  to  give,  John 
Norton ;  nor  have  I  found  them  honest  in  their  getting 
or  their  keeping.  I  have  found  them  ready  to  cheat ; 
I  have  found  them  ready  to  lie ;  I  have  found  them 
ready  to  kill !  "  And  the  man  straightened  his  form  to 
its  erectest  posture,  and  looked  the  Trapper  steadily  in 
the  eye. 

"  I  don't  doubt,"  returned  the  Trapper,  "  that  there 
be  vagabonds  in  the  settlements  as  well  as  in  the  woods, 
for  more'n  once  have  they  played  their  pranks  on  me. 
More'n  once  have  they  fingered  my  traps  and  stolen  the 
fur  that  an  honest  man's  labor  had  earned ;  but  I've 
left  my  marks  on  most  of  the  rogues,  and  the  few  that 
have  managed  to  dodge  my  lead  will  git  fetched  up  in 
the  Jedgment,  ef  the  Lord  keeps  watch  of  the  villany 


THE  STORY  OF  THE  MAN  WHO  MISSED  IT.      327 

in  the  woods,  and  I  dare  say  he  does,  of  the  woods  and 
the  settlements  both." 

"Perhaps  he  does,"  said  the  stranger;  "but  his 
Judgment  is  a  great  way  off,  and  the  wronged  find  it 
hard  to  wait." 

"I've  often  thought  of  that,"  said  the  Trapper; 
"  I've  often  thought  of  that,  and  I've  helped  Him  out 
a  good  deal  off  and  on.  I  was  comin'  in  from  my  traps 
this  fall,  and  I  caught  a  dirty  thief  rumagin'  among 
my  pots  and  kittles,  and  he  had  e'enamost  everything 
I  had  in  my  cabin  here  done  up  in  a  bundle,  and  as  I 
opened  the  door  he  was  actally  tryin'  to  git  it  on  to 
his  back." 

"  What  did  you  do  to  him,  John  Norton  ? "  asked 
the  man  eagerly,  as  if  he  was  even  more  interested  in 
the  principle  involved  than  in  the  narration  of  the 
facts. 

"  I  held  a  council  with  him,"  said  the  Trapper,  "  and 
I  did  most  of  the  talkin',  and  I  mixed  a  good  deal  of 
arnest  actin'  with  the  talkin' ;  and  between  the  actin' 
and  the  talkin',  I  sartinly  conceit  I  made  the  p'ints 
clear  to  him.  I  doubt  if  the  Lord  will  have  much  to 
do  with  this  case,  for  I  was  a  good  deal  riled,  and  I 
settled  with  the  vagabond  for  time  and  etarnity  both. 
The  fact  is,"  said  the  Trapper,  and  he  leaned  forward 
toward  his  guest,  and  placed  his  brawny  hand  on  the 
table,  "  I  conceit  that  the  Jedgment  is  a  good  deal  split 
up,  and  gin  out  by  piecemeal,  and  that  the  Lord's  idee 
is  that  when  an  honest  hunter  finds  a  vagabond  in  his 
cabin,  rumagin'  his  stores,  that  the  Jedgment  Day  has 


328  ADIRONDACK  TALES. 

come  then  and  there.  How  does  it  strike  ye,  stran- 
ger?" 

"  The  Great  Book  says,  '  Vengeance  is  mine ;  I  will 
repay,  saith  the  Lord.' ' 

"  Sartinly,  sartinly,  that's  right ;  that  is,  it's  right 
from  his  p'int  of  lookin'  at  it.  I  don't  conceit  that  a 
mortal  has  any  right  to  be  revengeful,  but  in  a  matter 
of  square  justice,  —  yis,  in  a  matter  of  square  justice, 
where  the  right  and  the  wrong  stands  out  like  the 
prongs  of  a  buck,  —  it  sartinly  seems  as  ef  the  Lord 
meant  that  man  should  tend  to  the  justice  while  he 
took  care  of  the  vengeance.  I  don't  doubt  that  the 
vagabond  I  caught  in  the  cabin  here  will  git  another 
rakin'  over  when  the  Lord  takes  him  in  hand ;  but  I 
gave  him  enough  of  honest  reckonin'  to  sarve  Divine 
parposes  while  he  lives  on  the  arth." 

While  the  conversation  had  been  going  on,  the 
Trapper  had  been  clearing  the  table  of  the  remnants 
of  the  repast,  and  at  the  conclusion  of  his  remarks  he 
drew  a  chair  up  to  the  corner  of  the  fireplace,  in  front 
of  which  the  stranger  had  already  seated  himself,  and 
the  two  men,  so  unlike  in  character,  and,  we  may  say, 
so  unlike  in  appearance,  sat  for  a  moment  gazing 
silently  into  the  fire,  which  roared  and  flamed  loudly 
and  merrily  upward. 

During  all  the  conversation  the  dog  had  been  an 
evident  listener.  Whenever  the  Trapper  spoke  the 
dog  turned  his  face  and  looked  directly  at  him ;  when 
his  master  made  response  he  would  as  attentively  look 
at  him.  Indeed,  had  he  been  gifted  with  human  intel- 


THE  STORY  OF  THE  MAN  WHO  MISSED  IT.      329 

ligence  and  human  feeling,  and,  we  may  say,  with 
human  sense  of  propriety,  he  could  not  have  paid 
closer  attention  to  the  dialogue  as  it  proceeded ;  and 
now  he  was  sitting  upright  between  the  two  men,  with 
eyes  alert,  and  with  every  appearance  of  interest  as  to 
the  conversation  when  it  should  be  resumed. 

"  Where  be  yer  home  ?  "  asked  the  Trapper  suddenly. 

"  I  have  no  home,"  said  the  man. 

"  Where  was  yer  home  ? "  queried  the  Trapper 
again. 

"  I  never  had  a  home,"  said  the  man. 

The  Trapper  seemed  for  a  moment  disconcerted. 
He  raised  his  face,  and  looking  at  his  strange  guest 
said,  — 

"  Where  are  yer  friends,  and  where  be  yer  family  ?  " 

"I  have  no  family,"  replied  the  man;- "nor  have  I 
friends,  save  one." 

"  Where's  he  ?  "  the  old  man  asked. 

"  He  is  here,"  replied  the  man :  "  here  is  the  only 
friend  I  have  in  the  world,"  and  he  looked  at  the  dog. 

It  may  have  been  in  answer  to  his  look,  it  may  have 
been  from  a  fine  sense  of  interpretation  of  what  was 
being  said ;  but  from  whatever  cause,  the  dog,  when 
his  master  said  "  this  is  the  only  friend  I  have  in  the 
world,"  moved  himself  closer  to  the  man  who  loved 
him,  and  laying  his  muzzle  on  his  knee,  looked  lovingly 
up  to  the  countenance  of  one  who  claimed  him  as  his 
friend. 

"Where  was  ye  born,  and  what  country  do  ye 
belong  to  ?  "  insisted  the  Trapper, 


330  ADIRONDACK  TALES. 

"  I  do  not  know  where  I  was  born,"  returned  the 
man,  "  and  I  have  no  country." 

"  Stranger,"  said  the  Trapper,  "  I  ax  yer  pardon  ef  I 
be  meddlin'  with  yer  own  business,  but  ye've  come  to 
my  cabin  and  ye  are  welcome  to  stay,  for  I  see  ye  be  in 
trouble.  And  I've  lived  on  the  arth  long  enough  to 
larn  that  them  that  be  in  trouble  have  arned  a  home 
and  paid  for  it  in  suffering,  and  that  for  sech  the  Lord 
intends  that  every  house  of  the  fortunit  should  be  their 
home.  And  here  ye've  come,  and  here  ye  can  stay 
and  welcome.  And  I  shall  not  meddle  with  yer 
sorrers  ;  for  a  man's  sorrers,  like  a  man's  grave,  should 
be  respected  by  the  livin',  and  no  stranger  should  tech 
either.  But  it  is  pleasant  in  convarse  to  know  who 
ye  be  talkin'  to,  —  leastwise,  to  know  his  name,  —  and 
so  I  ax  ye  plainly,  what  was  the  name  yer  mother 
gin  ye?" 

"  I  do  not  know  the  name  that  my  mother  gave  me," 
said  the  man. 

To  say  that  the  Trapper  was  astonished  would  but 
half  express  his  surprise.  He  sat  erect  in  his  chair, 
and  fastened  his  eyes  on  the  man  as  if  expecting  to 
discern  evidence  of  insanity ;  but  no  such  evidence 
could  he  discover.  The  man's  face  and  every  feature 
of  his  face,  the  calmness  of  his  speech,  the  decorous 
propriety  of  his  conduct,  substantiated  beyond  doubt 
his  sanity. 

The  Trapper  had  finished  his  inspection.  All  doubt 
of  the  stranger's  sanity  had  by  the  inspection  been 
dismissed  from  his  mind.  His  guest  was  perfectly 


THE  STORY  OF  THE  MAN  WHO  MISSED  IT.      331 

sane  ;  of  that  he  was  sure.  The  conviction  only 
deepened  his  astonishment.  Unable  to  solve  the 
mystery,  and  greatly  excited  at  the  climax  to  which 
the  dialogue  had  conducted  him,  he  exclaimed, 

"For  Heaven's  sake,  stranger,  what  is  yer  name? 
and  how  shall  I  call  ye  ?  " 

"  John  Norton,"  said  the  man,  "  only  parents  have  a 
right  to  name  a  child.  My  parents  doubtless  named 
me  :  but  those  parents  I  never  saw,  and  that  name  I 
never  heard.  Whether  it  was  a  family  name  or  a 
name  denoting  character,  —  a  name  given  in  hope  or 
a  name  given  in  dread,  —  I  know  not.  Family  I  have 
not.  Parents  I  never  saw.  By  strangers  I  was  reared, 
and  by  ignorant  strangers  named.  That  name  was 
not  a  name.  I  outgrew  it.  When  I  came  to  the 
knowledge  of  its  giving,  I  discarded  it.  Men  outgrow 
names,  John  Norton,  and  they  get  new  names ;  each 
man  names  himself.  The  joys  of  one  man  name  him, 
and  the  griefs  of  another  name  him.  I  have  had  no 
joys  and  therefore  joys  cannot  name  me.  I  have  had 
only  grief,  and  therefore  grief  must  name  me.  John 
Norton,  you  ask  me  who  I  am  and  what  is  my  name. 
I  will  tell  you.  I  am  THE  MAN  WHO  HAS  MISSED  IT." 

For  a  full  minute  the  old  Trapper  said  not  a  word, 
but  sat  looking  steadfastly  at  his  guest.  Outside,  the 
moon  shone  brightly,  and  its  white  light,  poured  in 
through  the  curtainless  window,  lay,  a  great  white 
patch,  upon  the  cabin  floor,  around  the  white  edges 
of  which  the  aggressive  firelight  played  with  many  a 
threatening  flicker.  The  hounds  lay  sleeping  on  the 


332  ADIRONDACK  TALES. 

hearth ;  and  the  stranger's  dog  still  sat  with  his  head 
resting  on  his  master's  knee,  and  his  eyes  turned  to  his 
face.  At  length  the  old  man  said,  — 

"  Friend,  the  night  be  not  half  gone,  and  men  of 
our  years  sleep  but  lee  tie.  I  have  heerd  many  a  story 
told  by  the  camp-fire,  and  many  a  frontiersman's  tale 
when  night  overtook  us  on  the  trail,  and  we  was 
waitin'  for  the  mornin' ;  and  next  to  the  sound  of  a 
fiddle,  nothin'  stirs  me  more  than  a  story  —  'specially 
ef  it  be  strange  and  onusual.  And  ef  ye  be  will  in',  I 
should  be  glad  to  hear  the  story  of  yer  life ;  for  sartin 
it  is  that  never  before  did  I  meet  a  man  without  a 
home  —  without  family  —  without  friends  —  without  a 
country,  and  without  a  name." 

For  a  moment  there  was  another  pause.  The  old 
man,  with  the  deference  born  of  years,  and  perhaps 
borrowed  in  part  from  the  habits  of  the  Indians  with 
whom  he  had  passed  so  much  of  his  life,  remained 
silent.  At  length  the  man  said,  — 

"  You  have  asked  me  for  the  story  of  my  life.  You 
shall  have  it.  It  is  a  singular  story.  Listen." 

And  so  with  his  hand  resting  on  the  head  of  his  dog, 
the  singular  being,  in  a  singular  way,  proceeded  to 
tell  the  singular  STORY  OF  THE  MAN  WHO 
MISSED  IT. 


THE  STORY  OF  THE  MAN  WHO  MISSED  IT.      333 


CHAPTER  H. 

"  IT  is  sixty  years  next  March  since  a  babe,  lashed 
to  a  broken  spar,  was  washed  ashore  on  the  eastern 
coast.  That  babe  was  myself.  I  came  out  of  the 
storm,  John  Norton,  and  I  came  out  of  the  depths.  A 
ship  was  wrecked  that  night,  and  not  a  man  was 
saved,  nor  a  woman,  either,  —  only  a  babe,  —  what  was 
the  ship's  name,  —  what  was  the  name  of  her  com- 
mander,—  who  owned  her,  or  from  what  port  she 
sailed  ?  —  none  ever  knew.  Whether  she  came  from 
the  east  or  the  west  none  might  tell.  In  the  midst  of 
the  ocean,  in  the  midst  of  darkness,  in  the  midst  of 
storm,  she  went  down,  and  I  alone  was  saved.  Do  you 
know  anything  of  the  sea,  John  Norton  ?  " 

The  old  man  kept  his  silence  a  moment  before 
answering,  and  without  lifting  his  eyes  he  said 
solemnly,  — 

"  Yis,  friend,  I  know  something  of  the  sea  !  " 

"Do  you  hate  it,  John  Norton?"  asked  the  man 
with  explosive  earnestness. 

"The  Creator  made  it,"  replied  the  Trapper;  and 
the  reverence  of  the  tone,  more  than  the  words,  con- 
stituted the  answer. 

"  I  care  not  who  made  it !  "  almost  shouted  the  man ; 
"  I  care  not  who  made  it !  I  hate  it !  It  is  wild  and 
wrathful  and  savage  !  It  thirsts  for  man's  life,  and 


334  ADIRONDACK  TALES. 

reaches  up  the  hands  of  its  power  only  to  grasp 
and  destroy.  Its  smoothness  is  a  deceit ;  and  when  it 
stretches  out  in  its  calmness,  it  stretches  out  as  a  lie. 
It  entices  man  from  the  shore,  it  calls  him  from  the 
bay,  it  beckons  him  with  its  breezes  from  the  safety  of 
the  harbor.  But  when  once  it  has  got  him  out  upon 
its  great  surface,  out  from  the  harbor  and  the  bay  and 
the  land  where  he  was  safe,  then  it  rises  up  in  its 
anger,  dashes  at  him  in  its  hate,  clutches  him  with  its 
billows,  and  drags  him  down,  down,  down  into  its 
hideous  depths.  Think  of  the  men,  John  Norton,  who 
have  gone  down  into  it !  Think  of  the  brave  ships 
that  it  has  swallowed  up  !  Think  of  the  women  and 
children ;  mothers  with  their  babes,  the  strong  and  the 
tender  alike,  the  wealth  and  the  beauty  and  the  glory 
of  man  it  has  ingulfed !  Who  can  look  at  the  surface 
of  the  sea  and  not  think  of  its  bottom,  —  of  the 
wrecks  that  are  there,  —  the  bones  of  the  dead,  and 
the  hideous  things,  the  dreadful  children  of  its  depths, 
that  live  and  sport  among  them  ?  Oh  !  I  hate  the  sea, 
John  Norton,  as  a  man  hates  the  murderer  of  his 
father  and  the  destroyer  of  his  mother ;  for  in  its 
depths  my  mother  and  father  lie.  And  there  they  have 
lain  for  sixty  years ;  lain  in  that  graveless  grave,  in 
that  tomb  without  spot  and  without  name,  and  I  have 
borne  the  burden  of  their  untimely  loss,  with  all  the 
misery  it  entailed,  till  my  head  is  whitening !  " 

Here  the  man  paused  a  moment.  The  flash  of  ex- 
citement died  out  of  his  face,  and  the  fingers  which 
had  been  nervously  twitching,  became  still.  In  a 


THE  STORY  OF  THE  MAN   WHO  MISSED  IT.      335 

moment  he  asked,  speaking  in  a  low  and  gentle 
tone,  — 

"Is  it  not  pleasant,  John  Norton,  to  know  where 
your  parents  are  laid  after  death  ? " 

"Sartinly,"  said  the  Trapper.  "Even  the  Hurons 
mark  their  graves  with  some  sign ;  and  I've  seed  many 
a  young  chief  go  to  the  grave  of  his  father,  and 
lament  arter  his  fashion." 

"  Is  there  any  grave  that  it  would  be  pleasant  for 
you  to  visit,  old  Trapper  ?  " 

"  There  be  a  grave  under  a  pine-tree,  on  the  shore  of 
the  sound  in  the  State  of  Connecticut,  that  it  would  be 
sort  of  cheerful-like  to  look  at  agin ;  and  I  have  con- 
ceited that  the  pups  and  me  might  make  a  journey  in 
that  direction  next  summer,  onless  the  boy  that  be  livin' 
comes  into  the  woods.  Still,  it's  no  great  matter,"  con- 
tinued the  Trapper ;  "  I  often  tell  Sport,  there,  that  it's 
no  great  matter,  for  I  know  that  the  boy  sees  that 
it's  well  kept." 

"  Yes,  it  is  pleasant,"  said  the  man,  "  for  the  children 
to  visit  the  graves  of  their  parents.  In  the  cities  the 
living  take  great  pains  with  their  graveyards,  and  lav- 
ish their  money  to  make  them  beautiful.  And  many  a 
time  have  I  been,  when  I  was  weary  and  hungry,  and 
stood  at  the  entrance  and  seen  those  who  were  left 
come  to  visit  the  graves  of  those  who  were  gone. 
Many  of  them  brought  flowers,  and  I  have  followed  on 
after  them,  and  seen  them  go  to  the  graves  of  their 
parents,  and  lay  the  flowers  on  the  mounds.  I  forgot 
my  weariness  as  I  looked,  and  my  hunger,  too,  John 


336  ADIRONDACK  TALES. 

Norton.  It  was  a  blessed  sight.  I  could  imagine  the 
comfort  and  consolation  they  found  in  doing  it.  And 
more  than  once  have  I  leaned  my  head  on  some  marble 
slab  and  wept  that  I  myself  might  never  see  my 
parents'  graves,  —  never  see  where  my  father  was  laid, 
or  let  fall  the  tribute  of  my  tears  on  the  mound  be- 
neath which  my  mother  slept.  It  is  a  dreadful  thing, 
John  Norton,  not  to  have  even  a  grave  to  love  on  the 
earth.  It  is  a  worse  thing  yet  not  to  know  what  your 
father's  name  was,  old  man.  But  I  have  never  had  a 
grave  to  love,  and  I  have  never  known  my  father's 
name,  nor  do  I  know  my  race  nor  the  country  where 
they  lived." 

Here  the  man  paused  again.  Long  and  earnestly  he 
gazed  into  the  fire,  while  his  mind  wandered  back  to 
the  time  of  his  earliest  recollections.  He  even  allowed 
to  pass  unnoticed  the  mute  caress  of  his  dog,  that  twice 
rubbed  his  head  against  his  knee,  twice  lapped  his  hand 
with  his  tongue,  twice  looked  into  his  face,  but,  receiv- 
ing no  notice  from  his  preoccupied  master,  turned  his 
own  face  sorrowfully  away,  as  if  he  felt  his  inability  to 
relieve  his  master's  spirit  from  the  burden  that  was 
on  it. 

"  Ye  said  ye  was  washed  ashore  when  ye  was  but  a 
leetle  babe,"  said  the  Trapper,  at  last  breaking  the 
silence. 

"  Yes,"  said  the  man ;  "I  was  washed  ashore,  — 
washed  ashore  at  the  break  of  day.  The  sea  that  had 
swallowed  up  my  parents  rejected  me.  The  waves  that 
had  murdered  them  cast  me,  as  if  in  mockery,  upon 


THE  STORY  OF  THE  MAN  WHO  MISSED  IT.      337 

the  beach,  unhurt.  A  fisherman  found  me,  took  me  to 
his  hut,  and  there  I  was  reared.  They  gave  me  a 
name  —  no  matter  what  that  name  was ;  —  they  had 
no  right  to  give  me  a  name.  Those  who  could  name 
me  were  dead.  Do  you  think  any  one  but  a  parent  has 
a  right  to  name  a  child,  John  Norton  ? " 

"  I  suppose  they  did  the  best  they  could,"  replied  the 
Trapper ;  "  they'd  got  to  call  ye  something,  and  I  sup- 
pose they  did  the  best  they  could." 

"  Perhaps  they  did,"  said  the  man. 

"  Did  they  treat  ye  well  ?"  queried  the  Trapper. 

"  No ;  they  beat  me,  and  kicked  me,  and  cursed  me," 
he  replied  in  a  tone  that  bordered  on  bitterness. 

"Why  did  they  beat  ye ?"  asked  the  Trapper. 

"  They  beat  me,"  answered  the  man,  "  because  I  was 
not  theirs ;  because  I  came  to  them  unsought,  came  to 
be  a  burden  to  them.  I  was  their  plague  and  torment, 
because  they  did  not  love  me.  All  children  that  are 
not  loved  are  plagues  and  torments.  Only  love  can 
find  happiness  in  the  wants  of  a  child ;  only  love  can 
bear  with  patience  the  toils  by  day  and  night  that  the 
coming  of  a  child  brings  to  a  house.  They  did  not 
love  me  because  I  was  not  theirs,  and  had  no  right  to 
be  where  I  was.  I  do  not  blame  them;  what  right 
had  I  to  be  ?  They  were  poor ;  what  right  had  I  to 
eat  their  bread  ?  They  owed  me  nothing,  and  yet  they 
had  to  give." 

"  But  ye  sartinly  could  help  'em  arter  ye  were 
growed,"  said  the  Trapper.  "  It  don't  take  long  for  a 
boy  to  git  big  enough  to  arn  the  leetle  he  eats  and  the 
leetle  he  wears." 


338  ADIRONDACK  TALES. 

"  I  never  earned  a  cent  for  them,"  retorted  the  man, 
"  not  a  cent  did  I  ever  earn  for  them." 

"  That  wasn't  right,"  said  the  Trapper.  "  Why  didn't 
ye  make  the  best  ye  could  of  yer  lot  and  work  for  yer 
livin',  as  other  boys  has  to  ?  " 

"  Because,"  replied  the  man,  "  their  work  was  on  the 
sea,  and  I  would  not  put  my  foot  in  a  boat.  And 
when  they  used  to  drag  me  aboard,  I  used  to  scream 
and  cry  and  crouch  down  in  the  bottom,  I  was  so  fright- 
ened to  go  out  upon  the  sea." 

"  Why  was  ye  so  frightened  to  go  out  upon  the  sea  ?  " 
queried  the  Trapper. 

"  Because,"  almost  shouted  the  man,  "  I  saw  dread- 
ful things  in  the  sea.  I  saw  ships  going  down !  — 
sinking,  sinking,  sinking,  mile  after  mile,  into  its 
depths,  with  their  masts  all  standing  and  sails  all  set, 
and  men  and  women  on  their  decks.  And  I  used  to 
see  great  and  horrid  creatures  swimming  about  in  the 
depths,  —  things  with  mouths  bigger  than  their  bodies ; 
things  that  eat  nothing  but  men,  and  women,  and 
children,  that  the  sea  sends  down  to  them ;  things  with 
great  eyes  that  leered  at  me  and  winked  at  me ;  things 
with  claws  that  kept  reaching  up  after  me,  —  claws  that 
opened  and  shut,  as  if  eager  to  get  hold  of  me,  and 
pull  me  down  that  they  might  eat  me  up.  And  I 
never  went  out  upon  the  sea  that  I  didn't  see  a  man  and 
a  woman  lying  at  the  bottom  —  lying  side  by  side  — 
with  their  hands  clasped  tightly  together,  while  the 
great  hideous  creatures  of  the  sea  were  swimming 
around  them  and  over  them.  And  I  knew  the  man 


THE  STORY  OF  THE  MAN  WHO  MISSED  IT.      339 

was  my  father,  and  the  woman  was  my  mother,  —  a 
father  without  a  name,  and  a  mother  that  I  knew  not 
what  to  call.  And  I  used  to  shriek,  and  scream,  and 
crawl  under  the  thwarts  of  the  boat,  crazy  with  fear. 
And  when  I  got  ashore  I  would  run  into  the  woods, 
and  keep  running,  until  I  fell  down  from  weariness. 
That  is  why  I  didn't  work  for  them,  because  their  work 
was  on  the  sea,  and  I  could  not  go  upon  the  sea  because 
I  saw  such  dreadful  things  in  it  and  was  so  fright- 
ened." 

"  What  did  ye  do,  finally  ?  "  said  the  Trapper. 

"  Do  ?  "  said  the  man,  "  I  ran  away.  I  ran  away 
from  the  house  that  was  never  a  home  to  me ;  —  from 
the  house  that  had  no  father  and  mother  in  it ;  from 
the  house  where  I  had  no  right  to  be ;  —  a  boy  without 
a  home,  without  father  or  mother,  without  a  country, 
without  a  name,  and  without  a  friend." 

"  Where  did  ye  spend  yer  childhood  ? "  asked  the 
Trapper. 

"  Childhood  !  God  in  heaven  !  "  almost  screamed  the 
man,  "  I  never  had  a  childhood.  How  could  a  boy, 
without  father  or  mother,  without  a  home,  without  any 
one  to  love  him,  have  a  childhood  ?  I  was  old  when  I 
was  young ;  I  had  no  mind  as  a  boy,  no  heart  as  a  boy, 
because  I  had  no  surroundings  to  draw  a  boy's  mind 
out  or  make  a  boy's  heart  feel." 

"  Where  did  ye  git  yer  vittals  ? "  interrogated  the 
Trapper. 

"  Food !  I  never  had  much  food.  I  ate  roots,  and 
nuts,  and  berries,  and  apples,  for  years.  I  never  ate  at 


340  ADIRONDACK  TALES. 

a  table  unless  by  chance.  I  had  none  to  provide  for 
me,  and  so  I  provided  for  myself.  I  found  what  I 
could,  and  I  stole  what  I  couldn't  find,  —  stole  to  sat- 
isfy my  hunger.  Do  you  think  that  was  stealing, 
John  Norton?" 

"I  conceit  not,"  said  the  Trapper;  "leastwise,  I 
conceit  the  Lord  keeps  a  kind  of  privit  reckonin'  in 
sech  cases,  and  sorter  eases  up  on  it  in  the  Jedgment." 

"  If  there  be  justice  in  heaven,  it  is  so,"  said  the  man, 
"  for  no  man  can  sin  without  knowledge.  And  I  had 
no  knowledge  of  right  and  wrong,  and  my  acts  were 
acts  of  necessity.  Did  you  ever  see  a  dog  steal  a  piece 
of  meat,  old  Trapper  ?  " 

"  Sartin,"  responded  the  Trapper.  "  Rover  had  a 
great  appetite  as  a  pup,  and  I  had  to  larn  him  the 
Commandments  with  arnestness.  I  didn't  mind  his 
leetle  thievin's,  for  a  pup  is  a  pup,  and  he  will  have  his 
pranks ;  but  I  came  into  the  cabin  one  day,  and  he  had 
not  only  cleaned  the  kittle  of  the  soup,  but  he  had  a 
roll  of  tenderline  in  his  mouth  nigh  on  as  big  as  his 
body,  and  I  tended  to  his  eddication  on  the  spot,  and 
gin  him  the  idees  of  right  and  wrong  as  clearly  as  I 
could  with  the  help  of  a  moccasin." 

"  I  meant,"  said  the  man,  the  earnestness  of  whose 
expression  the  humor  of  the  Trapper  had  not  lightened 
a  shade,  "  I  meant  to  ask  you  if  you  ever  saw  a  starv- 
ing dog  steal  a  piece  of  meat  ?  " 

"  Sartin,  sartin,"  answered  the  Trapper.  "  The  dogs 
of  the  Injuns  are  always  starvin',  and  I  have  consorted 
with  the  redskins  enough  to  note  their  habits?  and  few 


THE  STORY  OF  THE  MAN  WHO  MISSED  IT.      341 

be  the  movements  of  life  about  their  villages  that  my 
eye  hasn't  seen." 

"  Then,  you  know  how  I  used  to  steal,  John  Norton. 
L  used  to  creep  up  on  things ;  I  used  to  crawl  in  the 
grass  after  things,  like  a  thieving  cur  driven  by  starva- 
tion, but  frightened  at  every  motion  I  made  lest  I  should 
be  detected.  Yes,  I  used  to  steal  because  I  was  gaunt 
with  hunger,  and  the  wants  of  my  stomach  made  me 
a  thief." 

"  Yer  lot  was  a  hard  un,  that's  a  fact,"  said  the 
Trapper.  "  Did  they  ever  catch  ye  ?  " 

"  Yes,  they  caught  me,"  answered  the  man. 

He  said  no  more,  but  his  eyes  darkened,  and  his 
brows  lowered  over  them  in  wrath. 

"  What  did  they  do  with  ye  ?  "  asked  the  Trapper. 

For  a  moment  the  man  made  no  reply.  His  fingers 
worked  convulsively  and  his  body  actually  trembled, 
and  then  he  said  suddenly,  almost  fiercely, — 

"  John  Norton,  do  you  know  what  a  poorhouse  is  ?  " 

"  T  have  knowed  a  great  many  cabins  scant  of  meat," 
said  the  Trapper,  "  when  the  huntin'  was  poor ;  and 
I've  seen  the  redskins  starvin'  in  their  tents,  and  "  — 

"  I  don't  mean  that,"  said  the  man,  "  I  don't  mean 
that.  Do  you  know  what  the  poorhouses  are  that  the 
towns  and  the  cities  build  for  those  who  are  too  unfor- 
tunate, or  too  weak,  or  too  aged,  to  earn  their  living  ?  " 

"  I  don't  understand  ye,"  said  the  Trapper. 

"  I  will  tell  you,"  said  the  man,  "  what  a  poorhouse 
is.  It  is  a  house  which  the  rich  of  a  town  build  to  put 
their  beggars  in,  —  old  men  and  old  women  and  chil- 


342  ADIRONDACK  TALES. 

dren,  born  in  poverty  or  born  without  knowledge  of 
their  parents.  They  build  a  house  and  they  hire  a 
man  to  keep  that  house,  and  they  pay  so  much  money 
to  the  man  for  keeping  it.  If  the  man  is  a  good  man, 
and  they  pay  him  enough,  the  poor  are  well  fed.  They 
have  beds  to  sleep  in ;  they  have  warm  clothes  and  are 
comfortable.  But  if  the  man  is  a  bad  man,  he  takes 
the  money  the  town  gives  him  for  his  own  use,  and  the 
paupers  are  starved.  And  they  have  straw  for  beds, 
and  they  have  rags  for  clothing.  I  lived  two  years  in 
a  poorhouse,  and  for  months  at  a  time  neither  old  nor 
young  had  a  mouthful  of  meat,  only  coarse  bread  and 
potatoes,  John  Norton.  And  we  slept  on  straw,  and 
the  straw  wasn't  clean  at  that,  and  we  had  nothing 
but  rags  to  cover  us.  We  had  no  medicine  if  we  were 
sick,  and  if  one  of  us  died  they  put  him  in  a  pine  coffin, 
and  buried  him  in  the  pauper's  corner  in  the  graveyard 
without  even  a  prayer.  And  many  a  Sunday  have  I 
sat  shivering  in  my  rags,  crouched  under  the  south  side 
of  the  poorhouse,  that  I  might  get  the  little  warmth 
of  the  winter  sun  and  hear  the  church  bells  ring  three 
miles  away;  and  I  knew  the  rich,  in  their  silks  and 
their  warm  garments,  were  walking  up  the  carpeted 
aisle  and  seating  themselves  in  their  cushioned  pews 
and  thanking  God  for  their  blessings,  while  the  minister 
told  them  of  His  love  for  man ;  but  three  miles  away 
we  paupers  were  starving  and  freezing." 

"What  did  ye  do  in  the  poorhouse?"  said  the 
Trapper. 

"We  made  baskets  and  brooms  and  whiplashes," 


THE  STORY  OF  THE  MAN  WHO  MISSED  IT.      343 

answered  the  man.  "  And  the  man  who  kept  us  sold 
what  we  made  and  kept  the  money,  while  we  starved." 

"  Friend,"  said  the  Trapper  —  upon  whose  mind  the 
vivid  description  of  his  strange  guest  was  making  a 
profound  impression  — "  the  man  who  kept  ye  was  a 
thief.  The  Lord  will  gin  it  to  him  in  the  Jedgment. 
I  sartinly  hope  I  may  be  there  when  he  takes  the  vag- 
abond in  hand ;  perhaps  I  can  git  a  lick  at  him  off  and 
on,  in  the  scrimmage." 

"  He  was  a  church  member,  John  Norton,"  said  the 
man. 

The  quiet  but  intense  bitterness  and  sarcasm  with 
which  the  simple  words  were  said  were  lost  on  the 
comprehension  of  the  Trapper,  for  his  mind  did  not 
understand  the  relationship  and  the  obligations  of 
charity  affirmed  in  the  statement.  He  looked  at  his 
guest  a  moment  with  a  puzzled  expression  on  his  face 
and  said,  — 

"  I  don't  understand  ye,  friend." 

The  man  was  not  slow  to  perceive  the  confusion  in 
the  Trapper's  mind,  or  his  total  ignorance  of  the 
church  as  an  institution  in  civilized  communities  from 
whence  it  sprang;  but  fearing  that  he  might  be  mis- 
taken should  he  assume  the  Trapper's  entire  ignorance 
of  such  a  relation,  he  asked,  — 

"  Do  you  know  what  a  church  is,  John  Norton  ?  " 

"  There's  a  preachin'  station  down  in  the  valley  of 
the  Mohawk,  at  the  south  eend  of  the  woods,  where  I 
heerd  a  missioner  preach  four  year  agone ;  but  I  didn't 
conceit  he  knowed  jest  what  he  was  sayin',  for  he  yelled 


344  ADIRONDACK  TALES. 

like  an  Injun  in  an  ambushment,  and  acted  sorter  on- 
nateral-like  in  his  talkin.'  Me  and  the  pups  did  the 
best  we  could  to  foller  the  trail  of  his  arguin' ;  but  we 
couldn't  exactly  tell  where  he  fetched  up,  nor  the  idee 
the  council  had  when  it  broke  up.  No,  I  don't  con- 
ceit I  know  what  a  church  member  is.  Leastwise,  the 
missioner  didn't  make  it  clear  to  me  down  on  the 
Mohawk." 

"  A  church  member,  John  Norton,  is  a  man  who  pro- 
fesses to  love  God  ;  who  professes  to  love  men ;  and," 
the  man  continued  bitterly,  "  the  keeper  of  the  poor- 
house,  who  starved  us  and  stole  our  earnings,  was  a 
church  member." 

"  The  man  was  a  vagabond !  "  exclaimed  the  Trap- 
per. "  I  git  the  idee  now.  I  caught  a  church  member, 
as  ye  call  him,  on  the  line  of  my  traps  over  there  under 
"White  Face  only  a  month  ago.  I  had  seed  his  tracks 
off  and  on  ever  sence  I  blazed  the  line  through,  and  I 
knowed  he  was  a  church  member  by  the  way  he 
walked ;  fur  he  didn't  walk  straight  and  honest-like, 
like  a  man  who  made  the  line  and  had  a  right  to  be  on 
it,  but  he  sorter  sneaked  along  and  stopped  behind 
stuns  and  trees  as  ef  he  knowed  he  was  doin'  the  devil's 
arrant,  and  was  afeared  an  honest  man  might  ketch 
him  at  it. 

"  I  bore  the  thievin's  of  the  scamp  until  it  got  on- 
reasonable,  and  I  made  an  ambush  fur  him  by  an  otter 
slide.  I  sot  a  big  bear-trap  at  the  bottom  of  the  slide, 
and  I  burrowed  into  the  ground  at  the  top,  and  I  put 
the  leaves  and  the  mosses  and  some  dried  sticks  over 


THE  STORY  OF  THE  MAN  WHO  MISSED  IT.      345 

my  head  in  a  jedicious  manner,  so  I  doubt  ef  even  a 
Huron  could  have  seed  the  trick  of  the  thing.  I 
knowed  he'd  come  the  top  of  the  slide  in  his  thievin* 
sarch  fur  an  honest  man's  skins,  and  sure  enough  he 
did.  Yis,  he  come  to  the  top  of  the  slide  so  I  could 
tech  him  with  the  muzzle  of  my  rifle,  and  he  bent  over 
to  look  at  the  trap  in  the  water,  and  he  found  it  —  yis, 
he  found  it ;  for  I  jest  reached  out  the  muzzle  of  my 
rifle,  an'  I  gin  him  a  punch  in  the  back  that  sent  him 
down  the  slide  as  ef  the  devil  was  arter  him ;  and  the 
trap  took  good  hold  at  the  bottom,  and  I  had  the  vaga- 
bond in  the  jedgment  fur  sure." 

"  What  did  you  do  to  him  ?  "  said  the  man,  whose 
face  showed  that  he  sensed  both  the  humor  of  the  old 
man's  blunder  as  to  what  constituted  a  church  member, 
and  also  the  predicament  of  the  thief. 

"I  preached  to  him,"  said  the  Trapper.  "Yis,  I 
preached  to  the  scamp.  I  made  him  say  the  Com- 
mandments with  the  muzzle  of  my  rifle  to  quicken  his 
mem'ry,  and  the  vagabond  showed  good  mem'ry,  fur 
sartin',  fur  he  started  at  the  begmnin'  fair  and  square, 
and  he  went  through  to  the  eend  without  a  slip ;  which 
I  sartinly  doubt  I  could  do,  although  I  be  an  honest 
man  ;  and  he  didn't  lose  any  time  in  puttin'  the  words 
in,  either ;  but  I  conceit  that  the  water  and  the  rifle 
helped  the  vagabond,  not  to  speak  of  the  trap.  Arter 
he  had  said  the  Commandments,  I  helped  him  out  and 
eased  off  the  trap,  and  we  had  a  leetle  more  talkin', 
not  to  speak  of  a  leetle  actin'  that  I  throwed  in  with- 
out any  charge." 


346  ADIRONDACK  TALES 

"  What  did  you  do  to  him  ?  "  said  the  man,  whose 
face  was  now  thoroughly  relaxed  in  evident  enjoyment 
of  the  old  Trapper's  experience. 

"  I  cut  a  withe,"  said  the  Trapper,  "  and  I  larnt  him 
what  the  Commandments  meant,  and  what  a  vagabond 
can  expect  when  he  breaks  'em.  I  edicated  him  a  few 
minits  better'n  any  missioner  could,  fur  he  owned  up 
before  the  withe  got  limber  that  he  knowed  the  wick- 
edness of  stealin',  and  he  swore  he'd  never  tech  another 
man's  skins  while  he  lived  on  the  arth ;  but  I  don't  con- 
ceit he  kept  his  word,  fur  ye  could  see  by  the  look  of 
his  eyes  he  was  a  nateral  liar  as  well  as  a  thief  ;  and  I 
dare  say  he's  sellin'  skins  to-day  in  the  settlements 
that  he  never  trapped.  But  he  never  put  his  thievin' 
foot  on  that  line  agin,  and  I  doubt  ef  he'll  ever  tech 
another  fur  in  a  trap  that  has  'John  Norton'  on 
it." 

This  episode  had  evidently  been  a  relief  to  the  feel- 
ings of  the  stranger,  for  his  face  had  lost  its  set  expres- 
sion, and  the  gloom  on  his  brow  had  given  place  to 
a  peaceful  light.  He  could  evidently  recall  his  past 
without  pain,  —  dire  as  it  had  been,  —  and  speak  of  it 
without  bitterness,  for  in  a  moment  he  turned  brightly 
to  the  old  Trapper,  and  asked,  — 

"  Would  you  like  to  know  how  I  came  to  leave  the 
poorhouse,  John  Norton  ?  " 

"  Sartinly,"  answered  the  Trapper.  "  Sartinly.  Ye 
was  in  the  devil's  own  hole,  fur  sure,  and  at  ween  the 
church  member  and  the  straw,  and  the  starvin'  and 
the  freezin',  ye  had  a  hard  time  on  it,  as  I  conceit. 


THE  STORY  OF  THE  MAN  WHO  MISSED  IT.      347 

Yis,  ye  had  a  hard  time  on  it,  and  I  would  sartinly 
like  to  hear  how  the  Lord  of  marcy  got  ye  out  of  the 
scrape." 

"You  may  well  say  the  Lord  of  mercy,  John 
Norton,"  answered  the  man,  "for  he  did  it;  but  he 
did  it  through  my  natural  gifts,  through  the  powers 
he  had  given  me,  —  the  powers  that  had  come  to  me 
from  him  through  the  mother  and  the  father  I  have 
never  seen,  whose  love  and  whose  name  I  have  alike 
missed." 

"  I  don't  understand  ye,"  said  the  Trapper. 

"  I  will  tell  you,"  said  the  man.  "  I  was  born  with 
the  love  of  knowledge  in  me,  John  Norton,  —  the  love 
to  know  how  things  were  made,  and  how  things  could 
be  made.  I  used  to  open  the  nuts  that  I  might  know 
how  the  shells  were  constructed,  and  from  what  point 
the  kernel  started  to  grow.  I  used  to  split  the  apples 
open  before  I  ate  them  to  find  which  way  their  seeds 
lay,  and  to  learn  how  they  grew  round  the  centre. 
And  I  used  to  wonder  what  colored  their  skins,  and 
made  them  so  red  and  bright.  I  used  to  lie  by  the 
ant-hills  in  the  warm  sun,  and  see  the  little  busy 
things  come  and  go,  and  noticed  how  they  carried  their 
loads  ;  and  longed  to  get  inside  of  their  mounds  and 
see  what  they  did,  —  how  they  made  their  chambers, 
and  kept  their  archways  from  falling.  I  have  lain  by 
the  hour  in  the  leaves,  and  seen  the  great  yellow 
spiders  weave  their  webs,  and  hang  their  filmy  traps 
in  the  air  that  they  might  catch  their  food.  I  climbed 
a  thousand  trees  and  studied  a  thousand  nests,  and 


348  ADIRONDACK  TALES. 

found  that  each  bird  had  his  own  way  and  fashion  of 
making  his  home,  and  saw  that  they  could  do  things 
that  man  could  not  do ;  for  I  used  to  work  for  hours 
trying  to  place  the  hairs  and  the  mosses,  the  bits  of 
bark  and  the  stolen  string,  as  the  bird  would  place 
them,  and  I  found  I  could  not  do  it,  John  Norton." 

"  No,"  said  the  Trapper ;  "  the  creeturs  that  the 
Lord  has  made  be  wiser  than  men  arter  their  fashion. 
Man  can  trap  a  beaver,  but  he  can't  build  his  mound  ; 
and  a  wolf  will  find  a  way  when  the  hunter  and  the 
hound  both  will  lose  themselves  in  the  woods.  Yis, 
the  creeturs  the  Lord  has  made  be  wiser  than  men." 

"  It  is  even  so,"  said  the  man ;  "  and  as  a  boy  I 
grew  to  know  it.  I  did  not  know  at  the  time  that 
I  was  a  student,  but  I  studied  much  before  I  saw  a 
book." 

"  I  don't  doubt  it,"  said  the  Trapper.  "  Books  is 
good  enough  in  their  way,  but  I  never  seed  more  than 
two  or  three  men  that  had  studied  books  that  wasn't 
dreadfully  ignorant." 

"I  don't  know  about  that,"  returned  the  man, 
"  books  contain  the  knowledge  of  the  world.  Books 
are  the  mirrors  that  reflect  the  learning  of  the  ages. 
Books  are  treasure-houses  in  which  are  stored  the 
golden  sayings  of  all  times.  The  first  joy  that  came 
to  my  life,  John  Norton,  was  when  I  learned  to  read. 
An  old  pauper  woman  in  the  poorhouse  taught  me  the 
letters ;  and  the  first  book  that  I  read  was  the  Bible." 

"  It  was  a  good  book  to  begin  with,  fur  sartin,"  said 
the  Trapper. 


THE  STORY  OF  THE  MAN  WHO  MISSED  IT.      349 

"It  is  a  good  book  to  end  with,  too,"  said  the  man. 

"It  may  be,"  said  the  Trapper;  "but  the  church 
member  in  the  trap  knew  the  Commandments,  word 
for  word." 

The  allusion  of  the  Trapper  was  unnoticed  by  his 
guest.  At  least,  he  resumed  his  conversation  as  if  it 
had  not  been  made. 

"  The  first  book  I  read  was  the  Bible.  It  took  me  a 
year  to  read  it  through,  but  it  made  the  year  happy. 
I  read  it,  not  for  its  wisdom,  but  for  the  strange  stories 
that  were  in  it,  and  the  things  that  delight  a  boy  ;  but 
when  I  was  done  I  knew  how  to  read,  and  I  had  a 
longing  to  read  —  a  longing  I  cannot  describe.  Did 
you  ever  long  to  know  a  thing,  John  Norton  ?  " 

"  Sartin,"  answered  the  Trapper ;  "  I  run  acrost  a 
track  in  the  snow  last  winter  that  made  me  oneasy ; 
fur  the  track  was  the  track  of  a  panther,  but  it  walked 
with  the  legs  of  a  man ;  leastwise,  it  made  but  one 
track  where  it  ought  to  make  two.  And  the  pups  was 
oneasy,  too ;  fur  they  wouldn't  f oiler  the  thing.  I 
trailed  it  fur  two  days,  fur  I  had  sot  my  mind  on 
knowin'  what  the  creetur  was  that  the  pups  wouldn't 
foller,  and  whose  track  didn't  tell  me  his  name.  And 
the  second  day,  jest  as  it  was  gittin'  dark,  I  come  upon 
him ;  and  it  was  standin'  up  like  a  man,  and  I  must 
say  it  started  me  a  leetle ;  fur  I  come  on  it  suddenly, 
and  met  it  face  to  face.  But  I  drawed  on  it,  fur  I  was 
sartin'  it  wasn't  anything  human  ;  and  I  lined  the 
sights  to  send  the  lead  atween  the  eyes.  My  finger 
was  on  the  trigger,  and  the  pressure  was  gittin'  steady, 


350  ADIRONDACK  TALES. 

fur  I'd  never  seed  sech  a  thing  afore,  and  I  was  de tar- 
mined  to  know  what  the  creetur  was,  and  "  — 

"  What  was  it,  John  Norton  ?  "  exclaimed  the  man, 
excitedly ;  for  the  narration  of  the  old  Trapper's 
strange  experience  had  startled  him,  as  it  well  might. 
For  who  could  guess  what  a  creature  might  be  whose 
track  was  the  track  of  a  panther,  but  that  walked  with 
the  legs  of  a  man  ?  And  at  the  point  at  which  the 
Trapper  —  standing  face  to  face  with  the  strange  crea- 
ture —  was  about  to  explode  his  piece,  he  was  unable 
to  restrain  his  curiosity  longer,  and  had  broken  in  upon 
the  Trapper's  narration  suddenly,  with  the  question, 
"  What  was  it,  John  Norton  ?  " 


fHE  STORY  OF  THE  MAN  WHO  MISSED  IT.      351 


CHAPTER  HI. 

"A  FOOL  of  a  half-breed!"  answered  the  Trapper, 
evidently  enjoying  the  curiosity  of  his  guest.  "  Yis,  a 
downright  fool  who  conceited  in  his  craziness  that  he 
was  an  animil,  and  so  wouldn't  dress  himself  like  a 
rational  bein',  but  had  managed  to  git  himself  inside 
of  a  panther's  skin,  and  he  had  done  it  clever  too ;  fur 
even  his  face  was  covered  with  the  pelt ;  and  ef  he 
hadn't  opened  his  mouth  and  let  out  a  stream  of  his 
gibberin'  as  I  drawed  on  him,  he'd  found  his  senses  in 
etarnity,  quick  as  powder  could  barn  —  fur,  dusky  as  it 
was,  I'd  got  the  line  right,  and  my  finger  was  gittin' 
heavy  on  the  trigger.  Yis,  his  gibberin'  saved  him,  fur 
he  sartinly  looked  like  the  animil  whose  skin  he  wore  in 
the  place  of  clothes,  and  the  panthers  and  me  have  a 
sort  of  runnin'  account,  and  I  wipe  the  slate  —  as  the 
storekeepers  say  in  the  settlements  —  as  often  as  I  git 
a  chance." 

"  What  did  you  do  with  him,  John  Norton  ?  "  asked 
the  man. 

"  Do  with  him  ?  "  exclaimed  the  Trapper,  "  I  couldn't 
do  anything  with  him.  Ye  see  he  was  crazy  as  a  loon, 
and  he  hadn't  no  sense.  Ye  couldn't  git  him  to  talk 
like  a  know  in'  person,  but  he'd  howl  and  screech  and 
gibber  and  jump  round  ye,  and  squat  down  and  make  a 
spring  at  ye  as  ef  the  old  feller  himself  was  in  him. 


352  ADIRONDACK  TALES. 

And  I  sartinly  guess  he  was  by  the  way  he  acted.  Did 
ye  ever  see  a  crazy  person,  friend  ?  " 

"  Yes,  we  had  three  lunatics  in  the  poorhouse," 
replied  the  man. 

"  I  don't  understand  ye,"  said  the  Trapper. 

"  I  said,"  returned  the  man,  "  we  had  three  crazy 
folks  in  the  poorhouse." 

"  Sartin,  sartin,  I  understand,"  returned  the  Trapper. 
"  No,  it  don't  make  much  difference  what  ye  call  'em  ; 
one  name's  as  good  as  another,  when  a  man  has  lost  his 
senses,  fur  all  that's  worth  namin'  has  sorter  gone  out 
of  him.  I  shouldn't  wonder  ef  lunatics  was  a  pretty 
good  name  fur  'em ;  but  we  call  'em  crazy  folks  here  in 
the  woods.  But  don't  ye  forgit  to  tell  me  how  ye  got 
out  of  the  poorhouse,  fur  atween  the  straw  and  the 
starvin'  and  the  church  member  and  the  lunatics,  ye 
must  have  had  an  infarnal  time,  and  I'd  like  to  know 
how  ye  got  out  of  it." 

"  It  came  about  in  this  way,"  said  the  man :  "  it  was 
the  law  of  the  town  that  when  any  pauper  child 
reached  the  age  of  fourteen,  he  should  be  apprenticed 
to  some  trade  by  the  town  authorities,  or  should  be 
bound  out  to  a  farmer,  unless  he  was  adopted  into  some 
family  where  his  support  should  be  guaranteed.  Well, 
I  had  lived  two  years  in  the  poorhouse,  and  the  time 
had  come  for  me  to  be  sent  out.  And  one  day  in  early 
spring  I  was  sitting  on  the  south  side  of  the  house, 
whittling.  I  used  to  whittle  a  great  deal.  I  had  a 
great  knack  in  making  things  with  the  knife,  —  you 
know  some  boys  have  a  great  knack  at  whittling  ?  " 


THE  STORY  OF  THE  MAN  WHO  MISSED  IT.      353 

"  Sartinly,"  said  the  Trapper.  «  There's  a  man  up 
in  the  St.  Regis  that  they  say  has  been  whittlin'  for 
more'n  fifty  year  steady.  A  trapper  that  I  met  on 
Deadwood  was  tellin'  me,  this  fall,  that  he  knowed 
him.  And  he  said  that  he  would  whittle  all  the  time ; 
that  he'd  stop  in  his  eatin',  and  go  to  whittlin' ;  that 
he'd  git  up  in  the  middle  of  the  night  and  go  to  whittlin'. 
And  he  said  —  but  I  conceit  he  may  have  stretched  it  a 
leetle  —  that  the  man  started  to  go  down  to  the  store 
one  mornin'  and  that  about  half  the  way  down  there  was 
an  old  pipperidge  stump.  Well,  he  come  along  to  this 
stump.  Ye  see  he'd  seed  it  a  good  many  times,  and 
had  a  kind  of  a  hankerin'  to  git  at  it.  So  when  he 
got  in  front  of  this  stump,  he  stopped  and  begun  to 
look  at  it,  and  arter  he  had  looked  at  it  fur  a  few 
minutes  sorter  arnest-like,  he  fetched  his  jack-knife  out 
of  his  pocket,  and  arter  rubbin'  it  a  few  times  up  and 
down  on  the  calf  of  his  boot  to  git  the  edge  right,  he 
began  to  whittle  at  the  stump.  Did  ye  ever  whittle  a 
bit  of  pipperidge,  friend  ?  " 

"  I  don't  think  I  ever  did,"  said  the  man. 

"  Well,"  responded  the  Trapper,  "  then  ye  have  no 
idee  what  pipperidge  wood  is.  I  made  a  ramrod  once 
of  pipperidge,  and  it  took  me  nigh  all  winter  off  and 
on  to  dress  the  pesky  thing  smooth.  And  arter  I'd  got 
it  all  right,  and  polished  it  off  with  a  bit  of  sanded 
buckskin,  I  sot  it  up  agin  the  edge  of  the  table ;  and,  in 
less  than  two  minutes,  Rover,  —  he  was  a  pup,  then,  — • 
who  was  cuttin'  up  his  antics  round  the  room,  run  agin 
that  ramrod  and  broke  it  square  off  in  the  middle." 


354  ADIRONDACK  TALES. 

"What  did  you  do  then?"  asked  the  stranger, 
laughing  as  much  at  the  expression  on  the  Trapper's 
face  as  at  the  humor  of  his  experience. 

"I  didn't  do  anything,"  responded  the  Trapper. 
"  Ye  see,  there  wasn't  anything  I  could  do  that  would 
sort  of  relieve  me.  There's  some  feelin's  that  a  man 
can  express ;  but  there  be  some  that  ye  can't  git  out  of 
ye  in  words.  Then  I  had  kind  of  an  idee  ef  I  said 
anything  I  might  git  mad ;  for  I  was  a  good  deal  riled 
inwardly,  and  I  think  talking  sorter  helps  a  man  to  git 
mad  when  he  is  riled ;  and  the  less  ye  say  under  sech 
sarcumstances  the  better,  I  conceit." 

"  Perhaps  it  is,"  said  the  man.  "  But  what  did  the 
man  do  who  started  to  whittle  the  pepperidge  stump  ?" 

"Remember,  I  don't  vouch  that  it's  gospel  truth  I'm 
tellin'  ye ;  fur  I  had  it  second-hand-like,  and  I've  noted 
that  things  that  come  second-hand  be  very  apt  to  git  a 
good  deal  mixed.  But  the  trapper  that  camped  with 
me  on  Deadwood  said  that  the  man  whittled  at  that 
stump  all  day,  and  then  he  built  a  fire  and  whittled  at 
it  all  night,  and  that  when  his  wife  come  to  look  him 
up,  —  fur  she  was  a  leetle  worried  what  had  become  of 
him,  —  he  sent  her  back  arter  some  vittals,  and  jest 
camped  down  on  that  stump  and  whittled  at  it  nigh  on 
to  a  week,  until  he  had  whittled  it  clean  down  to  the 
roots ;  and  then  went  down  to  the  store  and  got  him 
the  pound  of  sugar  he  started  for,  and  went  back  home 
as  ef  nothing  had  happened." 

"  Well,"  said  the  man  laughing,  and  his  poor,  thin 
face,  marked  with  its  lines  of  strength  and  its  lines  of 


THE  STORY  OF  THE  MAN  WHO  MISSED  IT.      355 

weakness  alike,  took  the  finest  illumination  when  he 
smiled,  « I  don't  think  I  ever  whittled  like  the  man  the 
trapper  told  you  about ;  but  I  used  to  love  to  whittle, 
and  I  have  made  many  curious  things  with  my  jack- 
knife.  And  one  day,  as  I  was  saying,  I  was  sitting  on 
the  south  side  of  the  poorhouse,  whittling.  I  was 
making  a  top  that  I  could  spin  in  the  air.  It  was 
hollow  inside,  and  I  cut  holes  in  it  through  which  the 
air  could  enter  in  a  strong  current  when  in  revolution, 
and  other  holes  through  which  it  could  pass  out.  And 
I  found  that  these  holes  might  be  cut  in  such  a  way 
that  the  top  would  make  a  very  pleasant  sound  when  it 
was  spinning ;  and  it  used  to  spin  a  great  while,  and  it 
would  go  up  a  great  ways  into  the  air,  and  the  longer 
it  went  the  faster  it  spun." 

"  Lord  !  "  said  the  Trapper,  "  that  was  funny.  I 
should  eenamost  think  ye  might  have  made  one  that 
would  never  have  stopped." 

"I  thought  so,  too,  John  Norton,"  said  the  man,  "I 
thought  so,  too.  And  I  really  think  it  might  be  done ; 
but  I  am  not  certain.  I've  come  so  nigh  doing  a  great 
many  things,  and  missed  them  after  all,  that  I  am  not 
so  positive  as  I  used  to  be." 

"That's  it,  friend,"  said  the  Trapper  "years  makes 
a  man  onsartin  about  a  good  many  things  that  seemed 
easy  when  he  was  younger." 

"It  is  true,"  responded  the  man  gravely,  "we  learn 
the  limitations  of  our  powers  only  after  many  trials ; 
but  I  have  noticed,  and  I  often  tell  '  Lucky,'  that  what 
is  impossible  at  one  period  of  a  man's  existence  becomes 


856  ADIRONDACK  TALES. 

easy  for  him  to  do  at  another.  And  it  may  be  that  by 
and  by,  if  a  man  keeps  learning  and  trying  and  gaining 
power,  he  will  be  able  to  do  everything  he  under- 
takes." 

"  That  looks  reasonable,  fur  sartin,"  said  the  Trapper. 
"  I  shouldn't  wonder,"  continued  the  old  man  with  the 
slyest  of  all  twinkles  in  his  eyes,  "  I  shouldn't  wonder 
ef  ye  made  a  top  in  etarnity  as  big  as  a  barrel  or  a 
shanty  and  set  it  goin'  so  it  would  never  fetch  up." 

The  man  was  too  profoundly  engaged  in  interiorily 
discussing  in  his  mind  the  possibilities  of  his  inven- 
tion to  notice  the  humorous  incredulity  of  the  Trapper's 
remark.  And  after  a  moment's  pause,  during  which  he 
stooped  and  caressed  the  head  of  his  dog,  he  resumed :  — 

"  I  was  sitting  one  day,  as  I  was  telling  you,  south 
of  the  poorhouse,  in  the  sun,  whittling  out  a  top,  when 
a  man  came  through  the  gate  into  the  yard,  and  stop- 
ping in  front  of  me,  asked  me  what  I  was  doing  ?  I  told 
him  I  was  making  me  a  top.  He  looked  at  it  curiously 
for  a  moment  and  said,  i  This  is  a  very  queer  looking 
top,  my  boy.  I  don't  understand  the  principle  on 
which  you  are  making  it.' 

" '  I  don't  know  what  you  mean  by  principle,  sir,'  I 
said, '  but  it  will  spin  very  fast,  and  it  will  spin  in  the 
air,  and  I  can  almost  make  it  sing  a  tune.' 

" '  I  never  saw  a  top  spin  in  the  air,'  returned  the 
man.  '  I  dont  think  yours  will.  If  it  will,  I  will  give 
you  a  name  for  it/ 

" '  It  will  spin  in  the  air/  I  said,  jumping  up  and 
setting  the  spring,  '  see  here  ! '  and  I  sent  it  up  into  the 


THE  STORY  OF  THE  MAN  WHO  MISSED  IT.      357 

air  with  all  the  strength  I  could  command.  And  it 
went  up  and  up  and  up." 

"  Heavens  and  arth !  "  said  the  Trapper,  "  did  it 
actally  go  out  of  sight  ?  Ye  orter  to  have  invented 
something  as  ye  call  it,  to  have  pulled  the  thing  down 
arter  a  while,  or  it  would  be  a  kind  of  losing  operation 
to  spin  'em,  fur  sartin." 

"  Oh  !  "  said  the  man,  "  it  came  down  after  a  while  ; 
but  what  seemed  to  astonish  the  gentleman  most  was 
that  it  played  one  set  of  tunes  going  up,  and  another 
set  of  tunes  coming  down." 

"  Yer  top  was  a  good  deal  like  human  beings,"  said 
the  Trapper. 

"  Perhaps  so,"  said  the  man,  smiling  pleasantly  into 
the  face  of  the  old  Trapper.  "  But  be  that  as  it  may, 
the  gentleman  was  very  much  astonished,  and  he  said 
that  I  had  not  only  made  a  top,  but  discovered  a  new 
principle  of  aerial  pressure,  —  a  principle  of  great  value, 
he  said,  not  only  for  the  entertainment  of  the  young, 
but  with  possible  industrial  uses  in  its  application 
which  would  be  of  commercial  value ;  and  he  said  he'd 
name  the  top  according  to  the  principles  and  results  it 
suggested,  and  he  called  it  the  '  Aerial  Melaphonal 
Top.'  " 

"  Lord !  "  said  the  Trapper,  "  that  was  a  ripper  of  a 
name.  Did  the  man  act  nateral-like  arter  he  got  it 
out  ?  I  think  he  ought  to  have  done  somethin'  fur  ye 
arter  givin'  such  a  name  to  yer  top." 

"  He  did  !  "  said  the  man  earnestly.  "  He  did  more 
for  me  than  any  man  that  ever  lived." 


358  ADIRONDACK  TALES. 

"  What  did  he  do  fur  ye  ?  "  queried  the  Trapper. 

"  He  took  me  from  the  poorhouse,  and  he  took  me  to 
his  home,  and  that  home  he  gave  to  me  ;  and  in  it  I 
had  joy,  and  in  it  I  had  suffering ;  and  the  joy  was  the 
finest  I  ever  had,  and  the  pain  was  the  sharpest  I  ever 
felt.  But  the  joy  I  had  came  from  his  strength,  and 
the  pain  I  had  came  from  my  weakness.  Yes,  he  took 
me  from  the  poorhouse,  and  he  gave  me  a  home.  Do 
you  know  what  a  home  is,  John  Norton  ?  " 

"Sartin,"  responded  the  Trapper;  "here  be  a  home." 
And  the  old  man  looked  affectionately  at  the  two 
hounds,  and  then  he  looked  at  the  wall  from  which  the 
two  picture-frames  hung, — the  one  filled  and  the  other 
empty,  —  and  he  repeated  as  if  more  to  himself  than 
to  his  guest,  — 

"  Sartin  ;  here  be  a  home." 

The  stranger's  eye  had  followed  the  direction  of  the 
Trapper's  glance  as  he  looked  at  the  hounds,  and  also 
as  the  old  man  lifted  his  eyes  to  the  wall  on  which  the 
filled  and  empty  picture-frames  were  hanging.  His 
eyes  lingered  on  the  frames  for  a  moment,  and  in  the 
quickness  of  his  sympathy  he  sensed  the  circumstances 
suggested  by  the  face  of  Herbert,  and  the  empty  frame 
hanging  by  its  side,  and  the  loving  glance  which  the 
old  man  had  given  them,  and  he  said,  speaking  to  his 
host,  — 

"Yours?" 

"  Yis,  the  boys  be  mine,"  said  the  Trapper. 

"  One  alive  and  one  dead  ?  " 

"  The  boys  be  both  livin',"  said  the  Trapper. 


THE  STORY  OF   THE  MAN  WHO  MISSED  IT.      359 

"  Where  are  they  ?  "  asked  the  man. 

"Henry  camps  in  the  settlements,"  responded  the 
Trapper.  "  The  Lad  camps  higher  up." 

There  was  a  pause  for  a  moment,  and  then  the  two 
men,  so  unlike  in  appearance,  so  unlike  in  fact,  so  un- 
like in  opinions,  so  widely  apart  in  education,  both 
seasoned  with  years  and  white-headed,  looked  involun- 
tarily into  each  other's  eyes  a  moment,  and  then  the 
stranger  said,  — 

"  I  understand." 

And  then  there  was  another  pause. 

Not  an  unpleasant  study  for  an  artist :  the  two  aged 
men  looking  into  the  firelight,  and  looking  beyond  the 
firelight  with  the  far-sightedness  of  untechnical  but 
profoundest  faith.  The  great  logs  all  aglow.  The 
hounds  sleeping  on  the  hearth.  The  stranger's  dog 
sitting  erect,  with  his  large,  bright  eyes  on  the  face 
of  his  master.  The  flashes  of  firelight  flaming  and  fad- 
ing on  the  wall,  and  playing  hide-and-seek  with  the 
shadows  in  the  corner ;  and  through  the  window  a 
glimpse  of  the  white  world  outside,  —  the  moon  in  the 
cold  blue  sky  and  the  scintillating  stars  shining  brightly 
down. 

For  several  minutes  the  silence  lasted,  and  then  the 
stranger  said,  — 

"  You  have  found  a  home,  John  Norton,  where  most 
find  only  a  hut ;  for  you  have  brought  love  into  it,  and 
the  angels  of  heaven  would  be  homeless  in  the  celestial 
mansions  if  love  was  not  with  them  in  the  places  of 


360  ADIRONDACK   TALES. 

their  abode.  And  in  the  dwelling  of  the  man  who 
took  me  from  the  poorhouse  I  found  love,  —  the  love 
between  husband  and  wife,  which  I  had  never  seen  ; 
the  love  of  parents  for  a  child,  and  the  child's  love  for 
parents,  —  nor  had  I  ever  seen  that  before.  And  I 
found  more,  John  Norton.  I  could  not  believe  it  at 
first,  it  was  so  strange  :  love  for  the  outcast ;  love  for 
the  pauper ;  love  for  the  boy  whose  father  and  mother 
were  in  the  depths  of  the  sea,  and  who  had  found 
kicks  and  curses  and  cruelty  from  the  time  he  was 
old  enough  to  be  kicked  and  cursed  and  ill-treated,  but 
had  never  found  love ; "  and  here  the  man  broke  down, 
his  lips  twitched,  and  for  a  moment  he  struggled 
against  his  feelings,  and  then  he  placed  his  long,  thin 
fingers  over  his  face,  rested  his  elbows  on  his  knees, 
and  wept.  His  mute  companion  lifted  his  muzzle  to 
the  thin  hands  spread  over  the  face  and  lapped  the 
tears  that  fell  through  between  the  thin  fingers,  and 
trickled  down  the  back  of  the  thin  hands. 

The  Trapper  never  even  looked  towards  his  guest ; 
he  even,  with  the  innate  modesty  of  true  reverence, 
half  averted  his  face  as  if  he  would  not  intrude  even 
with  a  glance  into  the  sacred  enclosure  of  the  man's 
griefs.  After  a  while  the  man  raised  his  head,  wiped 
the  tears  from  his  eyes  with  the  sleeve  of  his  coat, 
placed  both  hands  on  either  side  of  his  dog's  face,  and 
caressed  him  for  a  moment,  saying,  — 

"  Lucky,  you  are  a  good  dog.  Lucky,  you  are  the 
best  dog  in  the  world  ; "  and  then  to  the  Trapper, 
"  John  Norton,  you  will  overlook  the  exhibition  of  my 


THE  STORY  OF  THE  MAN   WHO  MISSED  IT.      361 

weakness.  I  am  not  as  strong  as  I  used  to  be,  and  the 
memories  of  that  far-off  and  that  happy  day  which  I 
had  in  the  home  of  my  benefactor  overcame  me." 

"  Friend,"  said  the  Trapper,  "  I've  lived  nigh  on  to 
eighty  year,  and  I've  consorted  with  many  people,  and 
I've  seed  the  joys  and  sorrers  of  my  kind,  and  I've  seed 
strong  men  weep  like  wimen ;  and  there  be  grief  that 
is  stronger  than  courage,  and  the  tears  that  be  honest 
be  fur  a  man's  honor,  and  I  honor  ye  in  yer  grief,  and 
I  respect  ye  in  yer  sorrers.  I  trust  ye  found  the  home 
of  the  man  that  took  ye  in  a  pleasant  place  to  live  in." 

"I  did,  I  did!"  exclaimed  the  man.  "Only  He 
that  seeeth  all  things,  and  knoweth  the  feelings  of  all 
hearts,  knoweth  the  joys  that  I  found  in  that  house ; 
for  there  I  found  books  and  opportunities  of  learning, 
and  I  became  as  a  son  to  my  benefactor,  and  there  I 
lived  ten  years,  and  in  those  ten  years  I  found  the  pos- 
sibilities of  heaven.  I  studied,  and  learned,  and  grew 
wise.  The  man  was  a  scholar  himself,  and  he  taught 
me  all  his  wisdom,  —  and  his  wisdom  was  not  only  the 
wisdom  of  learning,  but  the  wisdom  of  knowing  and 
of  inventing,  and  at  that  I  was  quicker  than  he ;  and 
together  we  explored  the  secrets  of  nature,  and  mingled 
its  forces  in  skilful  combination,  and  directed  their 
strength  in  a  hundred  ways  for  our  amusement,  and 
for  human  good.  With  him  I  found  what  was  in  the 
air  and  in  the  earth,  and  in  the  subtle  elements  that 
are  not  named.  And  we  gave  names  to  these  elements 
that  were  not  known,  and  we  gave  forms  to  powers 
that  were  not  embodied,  for  man's  amusement  and  for 


362  ADIRONDACK  TALES. 

man's  benefit,  and  we  found  startling  things,  John 
Norton,  —  things  in  the  air  and  the  water  that  no  one 
knew." 

"I  don't  understand  what  ye  could  find  out  in 
water,"  said  the  old  Trapper ;  "  that  is,  anything  that 
ordinary  folks  don't  see." 

"  John  Norton,"  exclaimed  the  man,  "  do  you  know 
what  is  in  water  ?  " 

"  There  is  a  spring  over  on  Silver  Mountain,  at  the 
foot  of  the  ledge,  that  I  run  across  last  year  as  I  was 
fetchin'  my  trail  through  from  the  Lawrence,  the 
bottom  of  which  was  as  yaller  as  a  turnup.  It  was 
gettin'  on  toward  night,  and,  as  the  spring  run  a  good 
stream  out  of  it,  I  conceited  I'd  better  camp  down 
there.  It  had  been  a  good  deal  of  a  tramp,  for  I'd 
been  takin'  up  a  line,  and  I  had  twenty  or  thirty  pelts 
and  nigh  on  to  as  many  traps  on  my  back,  to  say 
no  thin'  of  the  flour  and  the  ven'son  and  the  camp 
fixin's  in  the  pack.  Well,  I  threw  up  a  brush  shanty 
and  started  a  fire  and  dipped  up  a  pail  of  water  and 
set  it  to  bilin',  fur  I  thought  I'd  stir  in  a  few  leaves  of 
the  tea  that  Henry  brought  in  last  summer;  fur  the 
yarb  takes  powerful  hold  on  me,  and  I  felt  sorter  garnt 
—  a  good  deal  like  a  canister  when  the  powder  is  out 
of  it.  So  I  stirred  in  the  tea  and  steeped  it  jediciously, 
and  arter  I  had  briled  and  eat  the  ven'son,  and  felt 
sorter  full-like  inside,  I  sot  down  fur  a  good,  cheerful 
drink.  I  cooled  the  cup  to  the  right  pint  and  took  a 
mouthful,  but  there  didn't  a  drop  of  it  git  further  than 
my  back  teeth,  fur  I  shet  down  on  it  sudden  as  a 


THE  STORY  OF  THE  MAN  WHO  MISSED  IT.      363 

hammer  falls  when  the  spring  is  a  strong  un,  and  the 
trigger  works  quick  to  the  finger." 

"  What  was  there  in  it  ?  "  exclaimed  the  man. 

"  The  devil  was  in  it !  "  said  the  old  Trapper ;  "  yis, 
the  devil  was  in  it,  ef  a  man  can  jedge  from  the  taste ; 
fur  that  water  was  full  enough  of  sulphur  to  physic 
the  settlements  fur  a  year." 

"  You  found  a  sulphur  spring,  John  Norton,"  said 
the  man,  laughing  heartily  at  the  description  that  the 
Trapper  had  given  of  his  experience;  "you  found  a 
sulphur  spring,  and  sulphur  has  great  remedial  quali- 
ties in  it." 

"  I  didn't  notice  any  sech  thing  in  it,"  said  the 
Trapper,  evidently  in  the  dark  as  to  what  the  term 
implied ;  "  I  didn't  find  any  sech  thing  in  it,  but  it  may 
have  been  there  all  the  same,  fur  I  don't  know  how 
them  things  taste ;  and  ef  ye  say  they  was  there,  I 
won't  dispute  ye,  but  it  was  infarnal  drinkin',  fur 
sartin.  I  moved  on  over  the  ridge  afore  I  breakfasted, 
till  I  came  to  the  river  of  the  Tumblin'  Falls,  where 
me  and  the  pups  found  a  good  healthy  drink,  and  sech 
as  is  nateral  fur  man  and  beast  to  quench  their  thirst 
with.  But  ye  was  speakin'  about  some  thin'  ye  found 
in  the  water.  What  did  ye  find  in  the  water  ?  " 

"We  found,"  said  the  man,  "that  every  drop  of 
water  was  a  world  in  itself." 

"It  can't  be,  it  can't  be!  "  said  the  Trapper,  "fur  a 
man  would  drink  the  univarse  up  swallerin'  at  that 
rate." 

"You  don't  understand,"  said  the   man:  "it  is  a 


364  ADIRONDACK  TALES. 

figure  of  speech  that  I  use ;  and  I  said  that  every  drop 
of  water  was  a  world,  because  it  is  full  of  living 
creatures,  —  things  that  creep  and  swim  and  have  eyes 
and  a  structure,  —  true  organisms." 

"  Now,  ye  look  here,  friend,"  said  the  Trapper,  "  ye 
be  a  leetle  careful-like  in  yer  speech,  fur  what  ye  say 
is  beyend  reason,  leastwise  techin'  the  waters  in  the 
woods  here.  It  may  be  as  ye  say  techin'  the  streams 
in  the  settlements,  fur  I've  noticed  that  men  spile  the 
Creator's  work,  and  it  may  be  that  in  the  towns  they 
do  spile  the  water  that  the  Lord  has  made  fur  man's 
comfort.  But  there  ain't  no  live  things  in  the  spring 
back  of  the  cabin  here,  fur  it's  pure  and  clear  and 
sweet,  and  ye  can  go  in  the  darkest  night  and  drink  of 
it  without  fear,  fur  it's  a  flowin'  stream,  and  it  comes 
from  the  cleft  of  the  rock,  and  there  was  never  a 
wiggler  found  in  any  sech  water,  as  the  pups  will  tell 
ye;  fur  they  and  me  have  drank  of  it  by  day  and 
night,  and  we  orter  to  know." 

"  We  won't  discuss  it,"  said  the  man,  yielding  good- 
naturedly  and  mildly  to  the  Trapper's  earnestness ; 
"but  I  have  a  glass  in  my  pocket  with  which  I  will 
show  you  what  is  in  the  water  sometime  —  and  the 
water  of  the  spring  you  speak  of,  too,  pure  as  it  is. 
And  we  found  also,  secrets  in  the  air  —  forces  and 
powers  full  of  terrible  strength." 

"  That  seems  reasonable,"  said  the  Trapper,  "  fur 
many  a  time  have  I  seed  the  power  of  the  Lord  in  the 
air.  I've  seed  him  set  it  on  fire  ontil  the  heavens 
flamed  like  the  Jedgment;  and  I've  heerd  his  pieces 


THE  STORY  OF  THE  MAN  WHO  MISSED  IT.      365 

explode  louder  than  cannons  when  the  battle  is  hot  and 
the  gunners  ram  home  a  double  charge.  And  I've 
seed  the  fires  of  the  north  flare  up  as  ef  the  eend  of 
the  world  was  barnin',  ontil  the  pups  shivered  with 
fear.  Yis,  I  know  there  be  powers  hi  the  air  beyend 
the  power  of  man,  but  they  be  powers  of  the  Lord,  and 
sech  as  man  cannot  diskiver  and  the  tongue  of  man 
may  not  name." 

"  But  they  can  be  named,  John  Norton,  and  they  can 
be  discovered,  and  my  benefactor  and  I  analyzed  the 
air  and  found  what  was  in  it,  and  we  could  separate  its 
elements  and  bring  its  mysteries  to  light.  The  fires  of 
the  north,  as  you  call  them,  are  a  wonder,  and  science, 
it  is  true,  has  not  as  yet  discovered  their  cause ;  but 
there  is  nothing  in  nature  that  man  cannot  discover  if 
he  be  patient  and  studious  enough  in  searching  for  the 
key  that  unlocks  its  mysteries." 

The  old  Trapper  had  followed  the  speech  of  his  guest 
with  the  greatest  attention.  The  inquisitiveness  of 
his  own  mind,  which  had  found  a  narrower  and  ruder 
sphere  of  exercise,  was  nevertheless  of  so  high  an 
order  that  he  could  appreciate  the  same  quality  in  the 
mind  of  another,  although  the  field  of  exercise  had 
been  widely  different  from  his  own. 

"  Ye  seem  to  have  had  a  happy  time  of  it  in  yer 
studyin'  with  yer  friend.  How  long  did  ye  stay  in  the 
family  ?  " 

"  I  stayed  ten  years,"  said  the  man. 

"  Was  there  any  children  in  the  family  ?  "  asked  the 
Trapper. 


366  ADIRONDACK  TALES. 

"There  was  one  child.  Only  one  child,"  repeated 
the  man;  but  no  one  who  did  not  hear  the  words 
spoken  could  conceive  the  tenderness  of  the  tone  with 
which  he  spoke ;  and  no  one  who  did  not  see  his 
countenance,  as  he  said,  "  Only  one  child,"  could 
imagine  that  into  a  face  of  such  peculiar  appearance 
could  come  an  expression  at  once  so  supremely  gentle 
and  so  supremely  sad. 

The  old  Trapper  was  evidently  puzzled  how  to 
continue  the  conversation,  for  he  saw  that  his  ques- 
tion had  called  up,  if  not  unpleasant,  at  least  sorrow- 
ful, memories  in^the  mind  of  his  guest,  and  his  breeding 
was  too  fine  in  its  natural  courtesy,  and  his  sympathies 
already  elicited  by  the  singular  biography  to  which  he 
had  listened,  too  profound  for  his  strange  guest,  sitting 
in  front  of  him,  to  permit  him  to  say,  unless  inad- 
vertently, a  single  word  that  would  be  an  intrusion 
upon  the  secrets  of  his  life. 

The  man  had  fallen  into  a  musing  mood,  and  silence 
reigned  in  the  cabin.  The  fire  burned  low.  The  great 
logs,  nearly  consumed,  weakened  in  the  middle  and  fell 
downward  into  the  warm  ashes  and  the  glowing  coals 
underneath,  with  many  a  spark  and  jet  of  flame.  At 
length  the  man  roused  himself  from  his  revery,  and 
said,  — 

"The  motions  of  the  mind  are  wonderful,  John 
Norton,  and  thought  is  swifter  than  light.  Sitting 
here  in  your  cabin,  in  the  midst  of  the  wilderness,  with 
a  stretch  of  forty  years  intervening,  my  mind  has 
journeyed  back  to  the  house  of  my  benefactor.  Again 


THE  STORY  OF  THE  MAN  WHO  MISSED  IT.      367 

have  I  seen  the  face  of  his  wife,  who  was  to  me  as  a 
mother ;  again  have  I  heard  his  voice  as  it  sounded  in 
my  ears  long  ago ;  and  again  have  I  seen,  with  all  the 
vividness  of  her  earthly  appearance,  when  she  was 
young  and  beautiful,  the  bright  being  that  made  the 
house  in  which  we  lived  full  of  light  and  joy,  —  the 
being  that  made  me  ambitious  in  my  studies ;  whose 
hand  waved  me  with  encouraging  gesture  from  knowl- 
edge to  knowledge,  and  whose  presence  kindled  the 
darkness  of  my  life  into  the  radiance  of  hope.  But 
the  night  is  far  spent,  and  I  have  kept  you  from  your 
slumber.  Some  other  time  I  will  resume  my  story,  if 
you  desire  to  hear  the  tale  of  my  life  further.  If  you 
will  give  me  a  blanket,  Lucky  and  I  will  sleep  here  by 
the  fire.  I  doubt  if  among  all  the  deeds  you  have 
done  in  your  life,  John  Norton,  you  have  ever  done  a 
deed  of  greater  goodness  than  you  have  done  this 
night;  for  you  have  given  a  man  and  his  dog  that 
were  hungry  the  food  that  they  needed.  They  were 
freezing,  and  you  have  warmed  them.  They  were 
without  shelter,  and  you  received  them  to  your  house. 
They  were  lonely,  and  you  have  cheered  them  with 
your  companionship.  Two  of  his  creatures  have  you 
comforted,  and  the  Lord  will  give  you  your  reward  in 
the  great  day." 

All  this  was  said  gravely,  and  with  that  dignity  of 
manner  which  the  simplicity  of  true,  heartfelt  grati- 
tude gives  to  its  utterance.  Before  speaking,  the  man 
had  risen  from  the  chair,  and,  as  he  closed,  he  bowed 
to  the  Trapper,  as  one  who  would  thus  show  his  appre- 


368  ADIRONDACK  TALES. 

ciation  for  the  favors  he  had  received ;  while  Lucky, 
the  dog,  moved  in  front  of  the  Trapper's  chair,  and, 
fixing  his  eyes  on  the  old  man's  face,  wagged  his  tail 
gladly,  as  if  he,  too,  would  make  some  acknowledg- 
ment to  his  master's  host. 

"  Ye  be  welcome,  friend,"  said  the  Trapper,  rising 
from  his  seat.  "  Ye  be  welcome  to  what  ye  have  had, 
and  ye  be  welcome  to  stay  so  long  as  ye  will.  The 
days  be  short  and  the  nights  long,  and  at  times  it  be  a 
leetle  lonely,  though  the  pups  be  good  company,  and 
the  boys  come  and  see  me  off  and  on.  There  be  skins 
in  the  cabin  fit  fur  a  king  to  sleep  on,  and  yer  bed 
shall  be  of  the  softest." 

So  saying,  the  Trapper  placed  a  great  roll  of  bear- 
skins on  the  floor,  and,  bringing  a  blanket  from  his 
own  bed  and  a  pillow  for  his  guest,  he  retired  to  his 
couch,  from  which  the  coming  of  the  man  had,  hours 
before,  aroused  him. 

The  man  spread  the  skins  in  front  of  the  fire,  and, 
adjusting  the  pillow,  he  gathered  the  blankets  around 
him  and  prepared  himself  for  slumber.  His  dog 
came  to  his  side,  sat  down  for  a  moment  on  his 
haunches,  looked  into  his  master's  face,  kissed  it  with 
his  tongue,  looked  at  the  fire,  wagged  his  tail  happily, 
and  stretched  himself  by  his  master's  side.  The  man 
placed  one  arm  around  his  body  and  yielded  his  senses 
to  repose.  The  Trapper,  lying  on  his  bed  with  his  eyes 
on  the  two  picture-frames,  also  prepared  for  sleep. 
And  so  the  two  men — the  one  gazing  at  the  objects 
which  suggested  the  presence  of  those  he  loved,  one  on 


THE  STORY  OF  THE  MAN  WHO  MISSED  IT.      369 

the  earth  and  one  above,  but  to  his  simple  faith  both 
equally  alive  ;  —  the  other  with  his  arm  over  the  body 
of  his  dog,  whose  love  had  made  him  the  companion  of 
his  wanderings,  and  the  companion,  too,  in  his  wants, 
—  foil  asleep. 

Outside,  the  world  was  white  and  cold  and  still. 
No  stain  on  the  earth,  no  cloud  in  the  sky,  no  sign  in 
all  the  white  expanse  below,  or  the  blue  expanse  over- 
head, that  Nature  was  conscious  of  human  wants  or 
human  woes.  But  above  the  sky  sat  One  who  saw  not 
only  the  two  men  sleeping  in  the  cabin,  the  hounds  on 
the  hearth,  the  dog  by  his  master's  side,  but  all  on 
the  earth,  whether  waking  or  sleeping,  whether  happy 
or  sad ;  —  not  only  saw,  but  carried  in  his  bosom  their 
cares,  their  losses,  and  their  sorrows,  as  if  they  were 
his  own. 


370  ADIRONDACK  TALES. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

IT  was  nigh  on  to  a  month  before  "  The  Man  Who 
Missed  It "  again  alluded  to  his  experiences.  Indeed, 
he  had  not  been  physically  well ;  the  labors,  and  above 
all,  the  repeated  misfortunes  of  his  life  had,  beyond 
doubt,  materially  affected  his  vital  powers.  And  it 
was  evident  that,  previous  to  his  finding  the  Trapper's 
cabin,  he  had  passed  through  a  period  of  perhaps  aim- 
less wandering,  during  which,  without  positive  design, 
he  had  passed  beyond  the  region  of  the  settlements 
which  fringed  the  wilderness,  and  penetrated  into  its 
depths  utterly  unprovided  for  such  a  serious  journey. 
Exposure  by  day  and  night  to  the  storms  that  beat 
upon  him,  and  the  winds  whose  chilling  blasts  pierced 
his  thin  and  scanty  garments,  in  connection  with  lack 
of  sleep  and  lack  of  food,  had  served  to  lessen  still 
more  the  little  strength  which  the  adverse  struggle  of 
his  life  had  left  him.  Indeed,  he  might  well  be  likened 
to  some  ship  which,  for  half  a  century,  had  been  put 
to  hardest  service,  and  which  had  not  only  borne  for 
years  the  buffeting  of  many  tempests,  but  had  been 
weakened  through  all  its  structure  by  the  insidious 
influence  of  a  climate  that  had  sapped  the  strength  of 
its  timbers,  and,  while  it  had,  indeed,  been  blown  by 
the  gale  which  threatened  its  destruction  to  a  tranquil 
harbor,  it  had,  nevertheless,  entered  in  such  condition 


THE  STORY  OF  THE  MAN   WHO  MISSED  IT.      371 

that  those  who  knew  it  best  felt  doubtful  that  it  would 
ever  again  leave  the  harbor,  between  whose  headlands 
it  had  found  the  sorely  needed  refuge. 

The  day  following  the  conversation  which  we  have 
narrated  in  the  preceding  chapters  found  the  Trapper's 
guest  not  only  indisposed  to  talk,  but  even  indisposed 
to  move.  He  rose  from  his  slumber  with  the  looks 
of  a  man  who  rises  unrefreshed.  He  ate  but  little  at 
breakfast,  and,  after  the  meal  was  finished,  he  took  his 
seat  in  the  easy-chair  at  one  end  of  the  great  hearth- 
stone, as  if  his  weakness,  long  resisted  by  effort  of  his 
will,  had  overpowered  him  at  length,  and  compelled 
him  to  quiet.  He  even  dozed  as  he  sat  in  the  chair, 
sleeping  for  a  few  moments,  and  then  rousing  himself 
with  a  sudden  start  At  last  he  said,  turning  toward 
the  Trapper  in  an  apologetic  and  deprecating  tone,  — 

"  I  trust,  John  Norton,  you  will  excuse  my  inatten- 
tion to  the  duties,  and  what  might  be  the  pleasures  of 
the  day,  but  I  am  very  tired.  I  have  not  slept  much 
lately,  and  that  probably  accounts  for  the  feeling 
which  possesses  me.  I  feel  as  if  I  would  like  to  sleep 
forever,  if  it  wasn't  for  Lucky  here.  Lucky,"  said  he, 
speaking  to  his  dog,  "  if  it  wasn't  for  you,  Lucky,  I 
would  like  to  go  to  sleep  and  sleep  forever." 

The  dog,  whom  the  night's  sleep  had  fully  refreshed, 
rubbed  his  head  against  the  knee  of  his  master,  and 
then,  putting  his  paws  in  his  lap,  stretched  his  mouth 
to  his  master's  cheek,  and  caressed  it  with  his  tongue. 

The  man  put  both  arms  around  the  neck  of  his  dog, 
laid  his  face  against  his  shoulder,  and  when  he  lifted 


372  ADIRONDACK  TALES. 

his  head  the  Trapper  noticed  that  tears  had  fallen  into 
the  shaggy  coat. 

"  I  tell  ye  what  I  think  ye'd  better  do,  friend,"  said 
the  Trapper ;  "  ye  had  better  go  to  sleep.  Ye  look  to 
me  like  a  man  that  has  been  on  a  long  trail,  which  has 
led  principally  up  hill,  and  the  tramp  has  been  a 
leetle  too  much  fur  ye,  and  nater  has  sorter  gin  out. 
Yis,  what  ye  want  is  sleep,  and  my  advice  to  ye  is  to 
jest  take  to  the  skins  agin,  and  sleep  it  out  ef  it  takes 
a  week.  Ye  won't  be  distarbed,  fur  the  pups  and  me 
be  quiet  folks,  and  the  neighbors  ain't  plenty.  Yis, 
ye'd  better  turn  in  and  sleep  it  out,  that's  my  advice." 

"May  I  sleep  as  long  as  I  want  to?"  said  the  man, 
—  and  he  spoke  as  a  boy  speaks  when  asking  the 
greatest  of  favors  — "  may  I  sleep  as  long  as  I  want 
to?"  he  repeated,  looking  the  old  Trapper  in  the  face, 
and  rising  feebly  from  his  chair. 

"  Sartin,  sartin,"  answered  the  Trapper ;  "  there's 
four  good  months  afore  the  trout  be  movin'  in  the 
rapids,  or  the  big  uns  will  strike  a  hook  in  the  lake. 
Yis,  ye've  sartinly  got  time  enough ;  that  is,  ef  ye 
don't  lose  any  time  in  gittin'  at  it.  So  jest  bunk  down 
in  the  skins  with  yer  dog,  and  me  and  the  pups  will 
run  the  shanty  while  ye  are  sorter  enjoyin'  yerself." 

The  man  needed  no  second  bidding.  He  made  him 
a  bed  of  skins  at  one  end  of  the  cabin,  and,  throwing 
himself  upon  them,  in  less  than  a  minute  his  senses 
were  locked  in  profound  repose.  The  dog  went  to  the 
old  Trapper,  looked  into  his  face,  wagged  his  tail  hap- 
pily, gave  a  gleeful  jump  and  twist  of  his  body,  and 


THE  STORY  OF  THE  MAN  WHO  MISSED  IT.      373 

then  trotting  to  the  couch  of  skins,  he  curled  himself 
up  beside  his  master,  and  went  to  sleep  himself.  But 
if  his  master  moved  even  to  the  least  degree,  the  dog's 
eyes  came  open  with  a  snap.  He  would  lift  himself  on 
his  forward  legs  and  look  attentively  into  his  master's 
face  for  a  moment,  then  curl  down  and  close  his  eyes 
again. 

"  That's  a  knowin'  dog,"  said  the  Trapper,  "  ef  his 
bristles  be  stiff.  It  was  a  most  onrational  cross,  fur 
sartin,  and  no  sensible  hunter  would  resk  it.  Fur 
the  dog  of  blood  is  the  only  one  to  depend  on  when 
the  ground  be  dry,  the  chase  long,  and  meat  scarce. 
Yis,  the  cross  was  sartinly  onreasonable ;  but  the  dog 
is  a  good  un,  ef  he  does  look  like  thunder." 

The  object  of  these  critical  and  humorous  remarks 
knew  beyond  doubt  that  he  was  alluded  to  ;  for  as  the 
old  Trapper  closed,  he  opened  one  eye  and  fastened  the 
bright  orb  on  the  old  Trapper's  face,  while  the  other 
remained  shut,  and  he  gave  the  floor  two  or  three  in- 
quisitive thumps  with  his  tail.  A  more  quizzical  look 
certainly  was  never  seen  on  a  dog's  face,  nor,  taken 
in  connection  with  the  look,  a  more  humorous  wag  of 
the  tail. 

The  Trapper  stood  and  gazed  steadily  for  several 
seconds  at  his  guest's  queer  companion.  He  even 
closed  one  eye  himself  as  if  he  would  return  the  humor 
he  received,  and  then  his  great  face  began  to  wrinkle, 
and  the  smile,  beginning  at  the  corners  of  his  mouth, 
clomb  up  the  deepening  lines  as  a  boy,  laughing  as  he 
goes,  climbs  the  rounds  of  a  ladder,  until  it  found  a 


374  ADIRONDACK  TALES. 

lodgment  in  his  eyes,  whence  it  remained  looking  quiz- 
zically and  gleefully  out.  The  longer  he  looked  at  the 
dog  the  more  the  smile  deepened,  until  it  burst  into  a 
laugh.  His  mouth  opened  to  its  widest  stretch,  and, 
placing  a  hand  on  either  knee,  he  indulged  his  silent 
mirth  to  the  utmost.  A  strange  spectacle,  truly,  to  see 
a  man  and  a  dog  thus  exchanging  humor ;  but  that  the 
animal  enjoyed  the  passage  of  fun  was  evident ;  for 
the  orb  which  was  fastened  on  the  Trapper's  face  grew 
brighter  and  brighter  as  the  pantomime  proceeded,  and 
the  stumpy  tail  wagged  its  sympathetic  appreciation 
with  increasing  heartiness. 

It  was  evident  that  the  Trapper  doubted  his  ability 
to  longer  restrain  his  mirth ;  and  fearful  lest  he  should 
disturb  his  guest,  who  was  still  asleep,  he  slid  out 
of  the  door,  saying  in  mirthful  gasps,  — 

"  The  cross  —  is  sartinly  —  on-reas-on-able  ;  but  the 
dog  —  is  a  good  —  un  !  "  and  once  outside  the  door, 
indulged  his  pent-up  feelings  to  the  fullest  extent. 

Thus  several  weeks  passed,  and  the  exhausted  frame 
of  his  guest,  ministered  unto  by  nourishing  food,  and 
perhaps  by  what  was  better,  abundant  sleep,  recovered 
to  a  great  degree  its  strength ;  and  with  the  improve- 
ment to  his  physical  health  was  observable,  also,  an 
equal  improvement  in  the  tone  of  his  feelings  and  the 
hopefulness  of  his  spirit.  He  had  in  the  mean  time 
talked  with  the  Trapper  on  many  themes,  and  showed 
himself  in  his  conversations  to  be  a  scholar  of  profound 
attainments ;  but  not  once  had  he  ever  alluded  to  his 
past  life.  And  the  Trapper  forbore,  from  a  sense  of 


THE  STORY  OF  THE  MAN  WHO  MISSED  IT.      875 

native  delicacy,  to  question  him  concerning  himself. 
He  had  not  only  shown  himself  a  good  talker,  but  a 
good  listener  also ;  and  many  were  the  tales  connected 
alike  with  war  and  peace  with  which  the  Trapper  had 
entertained  him  in  the  long  evenings  as  they  sat  by  the 
fire  together.  It  is  doubtful  if  two  men  were  ever  be- 
fore brought  together  who  could  give  each  unto  the 
other  such  instruction  and  entertainment.  For  the 
worlds  in  which  they  had  lived,  and  whose  lessons  they 
had  learned,  were  entirely  unlike,  and  the  knowledge 
and  experience  of  each  were  equally  novel  and  inter- 
esting to  the  other.  Thus  the  two  men,  both  ripened 
with  years  and  both  wise  in  their  way,  brought 
strangely  together,  became  intimate  companions. 
Their  mutual  respect  deepened  into  friendship  as  they 
sat  in  the  long  evenings  exchanging  their  opinions  and 
their  experiences ;  and  by  Christmas-time  it  would  not 
be  too  much  to  say  each  seemed  to  the  other  like  a  life- 
long acquaintance,  and  not  as  men  who  one  short  month 
before  saw  each  other's  face  for  the  first  time. 

It  was  Christmas  Eve.  The  Trapper  and  his  guest 
were  sitting  in  front  of  the  great  roaring  fire.  The 
hounds  were  on  the  hearth,  and  the  stranger's  dog  by 
his  knee.  The  Trapper  had  noticed  that  his  guest  had 
been  in  an  unusual  mood  during  the  day.  Now  he 
had  been  restless,  walking  about  the  cabin,  going  to 
the  narrow  window,  looking  out  as  if  he  expected  to 
see  some  one  approach ;  and  then  he  would  seat  him- 
self in  his  chair,  and,  resting  his  chin  in  his  hand,  gaze 
fixedly  upon  the  floor,  lost  in  profound  abstraction. 


376  ADIRONDACK  TALES. 

But  as  the  day  declined,  and  evening  came  on,  a  more 
gentle  and  solemn  mood  took  possession  of  his  spirit, 
causing  the  prevalent  expression  of  his  countenance  to 
be  one  of  sadness. 

The  old  Trapper  had  refrained  from  noticing  the 
peculiar  disquietude  of  his  guest,  and  even  now  con- 
tinued to  forego  the  customary  conversation  lest  he 
should  disturb  the  musings  of  his  friend.  Thus  the 
two  men  sat  on  Christmas  Eve  in  front  of  the  great 
fire,  silently  gazing  into  it. 

"  It's  thirty  years  ago  to-night,"  the  stranger  said, 
speaking  at  last ;  and  he  said  it  as  if  speaking  more  to 
himself  than  his  companion,  "  it's  thirty  years  ago  to- 
night since  she  passed  away."  And  then  he  said, 
turning  to  the  Trapper  and  repeating  the  same  words, 
changing  the  tone  of  his  voice  to  one  of  address,  "  It  is 
thirty  years  ago  to-night,  John  Norton,  since  an  event 
occurred  which  has  influenced  my  life  up  to  this  day. 
Did  you  ever  see  one  that  you  loved  die,  John  Norton  ?  " 
asked  the  man,  looking  the  Trapper  steadily  in  the 
face. 

"  I  have  fought  on  many  fields,"  said  the  old  man, 
"  and  I've  been  in  many  a  scrimmage  where  men  fell 
round  me  like  autumn  leaves.  I've  seen  the  gineral 
and  the  privit  struck  down,  and  I've  seed  the  young 
man  and  the  old  lie  side  by  side ;  and  many  a  comrade 
have  I  buried  arter  the  fight  was  over,  or  the  scrim- 
mage ended.  Yis;  I  have  seed  many  that  I  loved 
die." 

"  I  know  you  have  been  in  many  battles,  John  Nor- 


THE  STORY  OF  THE  MAN  WHO  MISSED  IT.      377 

ton,"  replied  the  man,  "  and  I  can  well  imagine  that 
you  have  lost  many  friends ;  but  did  you  ever  lose  one 
who  was  more  than  a  friend,  —  one  whom  you  loved 
with  all  the  power  of  your  being,  and  whom,  in  losing, 
you  lost  all  that  made  life  valuable  ?  " 

"  I  have  seed  many  die,  both  young  and  old,"  said 
the  Trapper  evasively,  "and  there  be  graves  I  shall 
never  forgit ;  but  they  died  in  the  Lord's  app'intment, 
and  the  Lord  gave  me  strength  to  bear  like  a  man  the 
loneliness  that  their  goin'  made." 

"  How  did  he  strengthen  you  to  bear  your  loneliness, 
John  Norton?"  queried  the  man. 

"The  ways  of  the  Lord  be  many,"  answered  the 
Trapper,  "  and  he  comes  and  goes  on  trails  that  man 
cannot  see.  He  is  as  the  wind  among  the  trees,  —  you 
feel  the  motion,  but  you  see  not  the  power.  The  Lad 
used  to  say  that  thoughts  come  at  his  biddin',  and  I 
conceit  that  the  Lad  in  his  simpleness  was  wiser  than 
many  that  be  knowin' ;  fur  more'n  once  when  standin' 
above  graves  I've  had  thoughts  come  that  strengthened 
my  heart." 

"  What  thought,  old  man,  has  strengthened  you 
most  ?  "  interrogated  his  companion. 

"  The  thought  of  meetin'  when  the  arth  is  ended," 
was  the  response. 

"  Do  you  think,"  said  the  man,  "  that  beyond  the 
grave  we  shall  meet  the  friends  gone  on  before  ?  " 

"  I  sartinly  conceit  we  shall,"  said  the  Trapper. 

"  Do  you  think,"  persisted  the  man,  and  his  eyes 
shone  brightly,  and  he  made  a  gesture  like  the  gesture 


378  ADIRONDACK  TALES. 

of  appeal  to  the  Trapper,  "  do  you  think  the  spirits  of 
the  departed  can  revisit  the  earth,  and  are  conscious 
of  what  we  do,  and  say,  and  think  ?  " 

"  It  may  be  that  they  can,"  answered  the  old  man. 

"  I  know  they  can  !  "  exclaimed  his  companion.  "  I 
know  they  can !  I  know  a  spirit  can  return  either  to 
comfort  or  condemn  the  living." 

For  a  moment  the  old  Trapper  made  no  reply.  He 
looked  with  a  steady  gaze  into  the  glowing  eyes  of  his 
companion,  as  if  inwardly  debating  whether  the  misfor- 
tunes of  his  life  had  not  to  a  certain  extent  unsettled 
his  intellect,  and  after  a  moment's  inspection  he  asked 
in  a  respectful  tone,  — 

"How  do  you  know,  friend,  that  a  spirit  can 
return  ?  " 

"  Because,"  said  the  man,  "  once  each  year,  for 
thirty  years,  has  the  evidence  been  given  me.  Thirty 
times  since  she  passed  from  this  earth  has  her  bright 
spirit  returned  and  made  me  aware  of  her  presence. 
Thirty  times  on  the  same  night,  and  at  the  same  hour, 
and  in  the  same  manner,  has  she  made  me  aware  that 
the  ties  which  bound  us  together  are  not  broken,  and 
the  love  that  she  gave  me  has  not  cooled." 

For  several  minutes  nothing  further  was  said;  the 
Trapper  rose  and  placed  a  couple  of  fresh  logs  on  the 
fire  and  reseated  himself.  He  had  scarcely  done  so  be- 
fore his  guest  moved  his  own  seat  so  as  to  bring  him- 
self face  to  face  with  the  Trapper,  and  said,  — 

"  Old  man,  for  a  month  I  have  eaten  at  your  board 
and  slept  in  your  cabin.  I  have  listened  to  your  words 


THE  STORY  OF  THE  MAN  WHO  MISSED  IT.      379 

and  observed  your  manner  of  life.  I  know  you  are 
wise  with  the  wisdom  that  years  give ;  and  that  you 
are  good  with  the  goodness  that  only  comes  to  one  who 
has  lived  honestly  in  the  world.  I  have  found  in  you 
what  for  years  I  have  looked  for  in  vain,  —  an  honest 
man.  I  told  you  the  first  evening  that  we  met  a 
portion  of  my  life.  I  will  resume  the  narration. 
Listen :  — 

"  You  know  what  I  lost  in  my  infancy  and  child- 
hood :  that  as  a  child  I  was  without  father,  or  mother, 
or  name,  or  country,  or  home.  I  will  now  tell  you 
what  I  missed  in  my  youth."  So  saying,  the  man  again 
resumed  the  story  of  his  life :  — 

"In  the  house  of  my  benefactor,  as  I  told  you,  I 
found  a  home ;  for  in  it  was  love,  —  the  love  of  hus- 
band and  wife,  the  love  of  parent,  and  the  love  of  a 
child.  It  was  a  home,  also,  of  finest  mood  and  temper. 
Kindness  and  courtesy  were  the  habit  of  the  household. 
In  the  ten  years  that  I  lived  in  that  house  I  never 
heard  an  unkind  word  or  saw  an  exhibition  of  bad 
temper.  A  house  with  evil  tempers  in  it,  John  Norton, 
can  never  be  a  home. " 

"  Ye  have  a  jedgmatical  way  of  lookin'  at  most 
things,  friend,"  said  the  Trapper.  "  I  lived  in  a  squat- 
ter's cabin  down  on  the  Mohawk,  nigh  on  to  forty  year 
ago,  eenamost  a  month,  and  the  woman  that  kept  the 
shanty  made  it  lively  for  us,  I  can  tell  ye.  Ye  see,  she 
had  one  of  them  cross-grained  tempers  that  wouldn't 
stand  the  least  bit  of  strain,  and,  bein'  naterally  tough 
in  its  fibre,  it  made  a  good  deal  of  noise  when  it  snapped. 


380  ADIRONDACK  TALES. 

Atween  the  redskins  and  the  whites  I've  heerd  a 
good  deal  of  rapid  talkin'  off  and  on  in  my  life.  But 
that  woman  had  nateral  gifts  with  her  tongue,  fur 
sartin ;  and  when  she  fairly  got  at  it  there  wasn't  room 
enough  in  the  shanty  to  hold  more'n  one  at  a  time.  I 
camped  out  nights  fur  the  most  part,  fur  she  used  to  git 
wound  up  days,  and  a  mighty  leetle  thing  in  the  even- 
in'  would  tech  her  off ;  and  when  she  once  got  a-goin' 
the  Lord  of  marcy  himself  couldn't  stop  her.  And  yit 
she  was  pleasant  and  chirpy  enough  ef  ye  kept  on  the 
right  side  of  her,  but  ye  couldn't  always  tell  jest  where 
the  right  side  was ;  and  a  man  had  to  be  mighty  lively 
at  dodgin'  to  keep  on  reasonable  terms  with  her.  Ye 
see,  I  went  down  to  git  a  tech  of  the  settlements,  and 
become  sorter  civilized,  fur  I  had  heerd  a  good  deal  of 
the  pleasant  ways  they  had  in  the  settlements  ;  but  a 
month  was  enough,  and  I  came  back  to  my  cabin  in 
the  woods  as  contented  as  a  bee  in  his  hive." 

"  But  the  house  in  which  I  lived  was  the  house  of 
peace,  John  Norton,"  continued  the  man,  "and  such 
peace  as  only  springs  from  affection.  My  benefactor 
was  the  noblest  of  men,  and  his  wife  was  the  gentlest 
of  women.  And  the  daughter  —  John  Norton,  do  you 
think  that  angels  are  ever  born  on  the  earth  ?  " 

"  It  may  be,"  said  the  Trapper ;  "  yis,  it  may  be 
occasionally  one,  off  and  on.  But  they  don't  come 
often  enough  to  trouble  a  man  with  countin'  'em,  ef  he 
is  reasonably  quick  at  figgers.  But  it  may  be  ye  found 
one,  friend,  in  the  house  where  ye  lived." 

"I  did!  I  did!"  exclaimed  the  man,  "if   ever  an 


THE  STORY  OF  THE  MAN  WHO  MISSED  IT.      381 

angel  was  born  on  the  earth,  the  daughter  of  my  bene- 
factor was  one.  In  body  she  was  beautiful  beyond  the 
beauty  of  most  women :  a  beauty  finer  than  the  beauty 
of  form,  however  perfect,  or  of  feature  howfever  regular; 

for  hers  was  the  beauty  of  mind  and  of  spirit, a 

mind  that  ruled  the  face  in  its  expression,  and  a  spirit 
that  characterized  the  countenance  with  its  own  gentle- 
ness. Her  eyes  were  blue  as  the  sky  you  have  seen  at 
noonday,  John  Norton ;  of  that  peculiar  blue  which 
darkens  in  feeling  when  the  life  within  grows  intense ; 
and  all  shades  of  expression  could  come  to  them,  save 
of  anger.  I  know  not  but  that  they  were  capable  of 
that ;  I  only  know  I  never  saw  it  in  them." 

"  Perhaps  ye  gin  her  no  cause,"  said  the  Trapper. 

"Perhaps  not,"  said  the  man.  "No,  none  of  us 
gave  her  any  cause  to  be  angry ;  for  we  loved  her  too 
well  for  that.  Oh,  if  I  could  make  you  see  her,  old 
man  !  Her  hair  was  bright  as  the  sunshine,  and  almost 
of  the  same  tint ;  as  if  it  had  the  power  not  merely 
to  attract  the  rays,  but  to  hold  them  amid  its  wavy 
masses.  I  have  seen  such  hair  in  the  pictures  that  the 
old  masters  painted  of  the  heavenly  ones,  but  never  in 
womankind  since  we  laid  the  golden  hair  from  sight, 
and  smothered  its  sunshine  in  the  grave.  Her  skin 
was  white  as  a  lily,  but  through  the  whiteness  the  eye 
could  see  a  hint  of  pink  which  now  and  then  came  to 
the  surface  in  warmest  hue,  when  the  life  within  was 
stirred,  in  which  one  might  say  and  feel,  too,  John 
Norton,  that  he  saw  the  sunrise  of  a  soul  warm  and 
pure  as  the  morning.  But  why  attempt  description  ? 


382  ADIRONDACK  TALES. 

The  years  vanish  as  I  speak,  and  I  see  her  as  she  was, 
on  the  evening  she  died." 

He  paused  a  moment.  His  face  was  white.  The 
muscles  at  the  corner  of  his  mouth  twitched,  and  he 
clutched  the  arms  of  the  chair  in  which  he  was  sitting 
with  his  hands.  He  was  evidently  contending  with 
whatever  strength  he  had  against  the  emotion  which 
rolled  in  waves  of  feeling  over  him,  as  lifted  and 
moved  onward  by  the  impulsive  memories  of  the  past. 
In  a  few  moments  he  continued,  with  his  hands  still 
clutched  on  the  arms  of  the  chair,  — 

"  It  was  evening  —  the  evening  on  which  she  and  I 
were  to  be  married  ;  the  evening  on  which  we  were  to 
be  married,  John  Norton,  do  you  understand  ? "  and 
he  looked  at  the  Trapper  with  eyes  already  moistened 
for  tears. 

"  I  understand  ye,"  said  the  Trapper ;  and  he  bowed 
his  head  unconsciously  to  his  guest,  but  with  a  motion 
of  profoundest  sympathy. 

"We  were  to  be  married,"  repeated  the  man.  "  The 
priest  had  come ;  the  friends  were  present,  —  the 
father  on  my  right,  the  mother  at  the  left,  the  minis- 
ter in  front.  The  opening  words  had  already  been 
said,  when  I  felt  a  shiver  run  through  her  frame. 
Startled,  I  turned.  She  gasped ;  she  flung  her  hands 
on  high ;  she  gave  one  piercing  scream,  and  down  at 
the  altar's  front  my  bride  fell  dead ! " 

"  Good  God  !  "  said  the  Trapper. 

For  a  full  minute  not  a  word  was  said.  The  Trap- 
per, with  startled  look  and  pitying  eyes,  gazed  fixedly 


THE  STORY  OF  THE  MAN   WHO  MISSED  IT.      383 

at  his  guest.     The  man  gazed  as  fixedly  into  the  face 
of  the  Trapper. 

"What  happened  then?"  said  the  Trapper,  when 
the  silence  had  become  oppressive. 

"  I  lifted  her  in  my  arms,"  said  the  man ;  "  I  bore 
her  to  her  chamber,  —  the  chamber  that  was  to  have 
been  ours,  John  Norton,  —  laid  the  dead  and  beautiful 
body  on  the  bed,  drove  the  friends  and  parents  from 
the  room,  locked  the  door,  and  watched  the  night  out 
with  my  bride.  Oh,  the  talk  that  we  two  had  that 
night,  John  Norton!  The  pledges  we  gave  and  the 
vows  that  we  exchanged  none  but  the  God  of  the 
quick  and  the  dead  ever  knew." 

"  I  sartinly  ax  yer  forgiveness,"  said  the  Trapper, 
"ef  my  words  hurt  yer  feelin's;  but  I  can't  conceit, 
although  ye  who  mean  to  be  truthful  I  don't  doubt, 
tell  it  to  me  face  to  face,  that  the  dead  ever  talk  to  the 
livin'  ?  " 

"  John  Norton ! "  exclaimed  the  man,  and  he  flung 
his  hands  on  high  with  imperative  gesture,  "  I  swear 
by  the  heavens  above,  where  her  spirit  has  its  home, 
that  my  bride  talked  to  me  that  night!  And  she 
pledged  me  a  solemn  pledge,  that  once  each  year, 
while  I  stayed  on  the  earth,  if  I  kept  my  pledge  to 
her,  that  she  would  come,  if  permitted  of  God,  and 
make  her  presence  known  by  signs  and  movements 
that  I  could  not  mistake.  And  the  vow  that  she  made 
me  in  death  she  has  kept  hitherto,  and  will  keep  here 
and  now ;  for  this  is  the  night  and  "  — 

He  would  have  said  more,  but  the  hounds  on  the 


384  ADIRONDACK  TALES. 

hearth  moved  uneasily,  woke  from  their  sleep,  sat 
suddenly  up  on  their  haunches,  and  with  inquisitive 
muzzles  scented  the  air,  while  "Lucky,"  the  dog, 
moved  with  some  strange  feeling  of  love  or  fear, 
crept  half  up  into  his  master's  lap.  Either  the  move- 
ments of  the  hounds,  or  some  cause  to  the  Trapper  un- 
discoverable,  had  checked  the  man  in  his  sentence, 
which  he  finished  in  a  voice  scarcely  above  a  whisper  : 
"This  is  the  hour!" 

With  the  words  the  man  rose  suddenly  from  his 
chair  and  stood  erect  in  the  attitude  of  listening. 

"Have  you  ears,  old  man?"  ejaculated  he.  "Then 
listen,  for  the  steps  of  my  bride  are  coming  to  your 
door!" 

What  he  would  have  said  further  cannot  be  known ; 
for  the  two  hounds  that  had  continued  uneasy  lifted 
their  muzzles  into  the  air  and  gave  in  concert  a  low, 
mournful  and  prolonged  cry,  while  Lucky  sank  sud- 
denly to  the  floor,  his  bright  eyes  moving  from  his 
master's  face  to  the  door,  and  back  from  the  door  to 
his  master's  face. 

Nor  was  the  old  Trapper  unmoved.  Like  all  whose 
lives  have  been  lived  in  the  woods,  the  superstitious 
element  was  strongly  developed  in  him.  A  child  of 
Nature,  as  he  was,  the  marvellous  and  the  mystical 
found  in  him,  if  not  a  believer,  by  no  means  an 
unsympathetic  listener.  The  unnatural  motions  of  the 
hounds  whose  singular  conduct  the  Trapper  had  not 
been  slow  to  notice ;  the  impressive  manner  of  his 
guest,  and  that  stronger  but  more  subtle  and  indescrib- 


THE  STORY  OF  THE  MAN  WHO  MISSED  IT.      385 

able  influence  which  one  person,  when  powerfully 
moved,  can  exert  upon  another,  conspired  to  produce 
upon  him  an  effect  which  in  other  circumstances 
would  have  been  impossible.  Be  this  as  it  may,  he 
too  had  risen  from  his  chair  with  his  guest,  and  thus, 
amid  the  profoundest  silence,  the  two  men  stood  in  the 
attitude  of  listening. 

Was  it  the  wind  ?  Was  it  more  than  wind  ?  Cer- 
tainly something  moved  in  the  air  outside  and  over- 
head of  the  cabin,  —  moved  as  wind  might  move,  and 
yet  it  was  more  of  a  motion  than  a  sound,  —  a  motion 
that  seemed  to  come  on  and  come  down  as  from  a 
height,  —  come  down  and  alight.  And  then  —  what 
was  that?  Was  it  a  footstep  in  the  snow?  A  fox, 
perhaps,  brushing  swiftly  by  through  the  drifts.  A 
rabbit  bounding  lightly  round  the  corner  of  the  cabin. 
And  yet  the  motion  that  made  the  sound,  if  sound 
there  was,  was  slower  than  the  quick  step  of  a  fox,  and 
heavier  than  the  light  motion  of  a  hare. 

"Hark!"  said  the  man;  and  he  said  it  in  a  whisper, 
while  his  face  flamed ;  "  she  is  coming  !  " 

Was  it  imagination  ?  Was  it  fancy  ?  Was  it  a 
trick  played  on  the  reason  by  excited  nerves  ?  Was  it 
reality  ?  Something  was  coming.  What  ?  For  up 
the  path  made  in  the  snow  toward  the  hunter's  cabin 
came  a  step,  —  a  light  step,  and  yet  a  step  that  seemed 
to  hurry  as  if  running  on  swiftest  errand,  as  if  fulfilling 
some  mission  of  need:  came  swiftly  on, — came  to  the 
threshold  of  the  cabin  door,  and  —  stopped.  For  an 
instant,  silence,  and  then  a  knock  sounded  plainly  and 
distinctly  on  the  panels. 


386  ADIRONDACK  TALES. 

Whether  the  words  came  from  him  as  the  direct 
result  of  the  tension  which  he  was  under,  or  whether 
they  were  the  result  of  habit,  and  spoken  involuntarily, 
it  would  be  vain  to  inquire,  but  no  sooner  had  the  rap 
sounded  on  the  door  than  the  old  Trapper  lifted  his 
head,  and  facing  the  entrance,  said,  — 

"  Come  in !  " 

For  a  moment  a  hand  fumbled  with  the  latch,  and 
then  the  door  suddenly  opened,  and  in  the  open  door- 
way, plain  to  sight,  stood  a  woman ! 

The  man  flung  his  arms  into  the  air,  gave  a  moan, 
and  fell,  as  if  dead,  to  the  floor. 


THE  STORY  OF  THE  MAN  WHO  MISSED  IT.      387 


CHAPTER  V. 

YES,  a  woman,  there  was  no  doubt  of  that.  No 
spirit  ever  had  such  face,  and  eyes,  and  mortal  form. 
A  face  of  earthly  beauty,  and  a  form  whose  perfect 
poise,  and  active,  buoyant  life  spoke  not  of  spiritual 
but  of  perfect  mortal  mould.  A  young  woman,  from 
whose  face  looked  forth  profound  astonishment  at  the 
spectacle  she  beheld  :  the  man  lying  on  the  floor ;  the 
dog,  Lucky,  scratching  at  his  breast ;  the  Trapper  with 
every  feature  of  his  face  suggestive  of  surprise. 

"  What  have  I  done  ? "  said  the  girl.  "  Is  he 
dead  ?  "  and  she  looked  at  the  man  lying  on  the  floor 
where  he  had  fallen,  and  the  dog,  Lucky,  who  was  tug- 
ging at  his  garments  with  piteous  cries,  as  if  to  him  his 
master  was  asleep,  and  he  would  wake  him. 

"  Dead !  no,"  said  the  Trapper ;  "  ye  see,  he  isn't 
very  strong,  and  a  leetle  onsteady  in  his  head,  as  I 
conceit ;  and  yer  comin'  in  suddenly  on  him,  when  he 
was  expectin'  somebody  else,  took  him  all  back ;  but 
he'll  come  to  in  a  minit  ef  ye'll  fetch  me  the  dipper  of 
water  there  ; "  and  the  Trapper  moved  to  the  side  of 
the  man  who  had  swooned,  knelt  beside  him,  loosened 
his  necktie,  and  began  to  chafe  his  wrists. 

The  girl  quick  as  flash  slipped  her  hands  from  her 
mittens,  threw  off  her  jacket,  and  casting  aside  her 
hood  glided  to  the  pail  that  stood  at  one  end  of  the 


388  ADIRONDACK  TALES. 

hearthstone,  and  stooping  over  the  prostrate  man  began 
to  sprinkle  the  water  with  skilful  fingers  on  his  face. 

As  she  had  thrown  aside  her  hood  and  jacket,  her 
hair  had  escaped  its  fastenings.  It  was  bright  auburn 
in  color,  and  abundant,  and  fell  with  many  a  wave  and 
curl  even  to  her  waist. 

"  Whom  was  he  expecting?"  asked  the  girl,  as  pla- 
cing the  dipper  on  the  floor  she  seized  the  other  wrist, 
and  began  to  chafe  it  with  her  own  soft  and  glowing 
palms. 

"  It's  hard  to  say,  young  woman.  Yis,  it's  sartinly 
hard  to  say  who  the  man  was  expectin',  or  who  the 
old  fool  called  John  Norton  was  raaly  lookin'  fur  when 
ye  opened  the  door.  Ye  see,  the  man  has  had  his  ups 
and  downs,  and  the  downs  have  had  the  best  of  it  fur 
the  most  part ;  and  he  was  tellin'  me  the  story  of  his 
life,  and  he'd  got  to  an  interestin'  pint,  fur  he  was 
tellin'  me  that  the  girl  he  loved  died  on  his  weddin' 
night,  and  the  night  was  Christmas  Eve,  and  that  her 
sperit  always  appeared  to  him  on  the  same  night  each 
year,  and  at  a  certain  minit,  too,  and  that  the  minit 
had  come.  And  as  he  told  the  story  with  a  good  deal 
of  arnestness,  it  had  sorter  took  hold  of  me.  And 
when  he  jumped  up  and  said  she  was  comin',  ye  see  I 
riz  too ;  and  by  the  Lord-o'-marcy,  young  woman, 
when  I  heerd  yer  light  steps  travellin'  up  the  path  and 
heerd  ye  stop  at  the  door,  —  well,  ye  see,  here  was  the 
man  that  said  the  sperit  was  comin',  and  there  was  yer 
steps,  and  the  pups  actin'  onnateral,  and  I  eenamost 
thought  the  sperit  had  come.  And  when  I  jest  told  ye 


THE  STORY  OF  THE  MAN  WHO  MISSED  IT.      389 

to  come  in,  I  sartinly  expected  that  an  angel  would 
take  me  at  my  word  ;  and  I  conceit  they  did,"  said  the 
old  man,  as  he  looked  into  the  face  of  the  girl,  whose 
eyes,  as  her  hands  continued  to  chafe  the  man's  wrist, 
were  looking  into  the  old  man's  face  with  an  expres- 
sion half  of  wonder  and  half  of  amusement  in  them. 
'-  Yis,  I  conceit  they  did,"  and  his  eyes  twinkled  and 
his  face  beamed  with  humorous  good-nature ;  "  but  in  a 
body  a  leetle  too  solid  fur  wings  to  lift,  onless  they 
make  'um  of  onnateral  size  in  etarnity." 

"  See,"  said  the  girl,  "  he  is  coming  to  himself." 
"  I  shouldn't  wonder  —  shouldn't  wonder,"  said  the 
Trapper.  "  A  faintin'  fit  is  nothin'  to  be  consarned 
over,  ef  the  shirt-band  isn't  too  tight,  water  handy,  and 
them  who  be  tendin'  to  the  case  don't  make  too  much 
fuss  about  it.  All  ye  have  to  do  is  to  let  him  lay  flat 
on  his  back,  flirt  some  water  in  his  face  off  and  on,  rub 
the  wrists  a  leetle,  and  keep  up  a  kind  of  cheerful  con- 
versation. That's  jedicious  treatment,  as  I've  noted. 
There  is  sech  a  thing  as  overdoin'  in  sech  matters," 
said  the  Trapper  philosophically,  "  and  a  man  has  got 
to  have  a  good  deal  of  sense  to  let  natur'  alone ;  fur 
natur'  is  natur',  and  ye  can't  hurry  her  out  of  her  gait, 
whether  the  trouble  be  in  the  stomach  or  the  head. 
But  if  ye' 11  not  hurry  her  so  as  to  make  her  overrun 
the  track,  she'll  work  the  scent  up  in  time,  and  be  as 
sartin  of  herself  as  a  hound  runnin'  with  a  high  nose 
when  the  buck  is  in  full  sight." 

At  this  point  the  man  gave  a  sudden  gasp,  and  a 
kind  of  convulsion  shook  his  frame  j  at  which  the  dog 


390  ADIRONDACK  TALES. 

Lucky  gave  a  short,  quick,  joyous  bark,  and  a  frisk  of 
genuine  happiness. 

"He  is  comin'  to,"  said  the  Trapper,  speaking  hur- 
riedly and  in  a  low  voice ;  "  ye  do  well  to  note  the 
dog  "  —  for  the  girl  had  turned  her  large  eyes  toward 
him  at  his  manifestation  of  happiness,  which  the  Trap- 
per was  not  slow  to  observe  —  "  ye  do  well  to  note  the 
dog ;  fur  though  he  came  from  a  most  onreasonable 
cross,  the  dog  be  a  good  un.  He  be  comin'  to  himself," 
whispered  the  Trapper,  "  and,  young  woman,  don't  ye 
be  skeered  ef  he  acts  a  leetle  flighty  ;  fur  though  he  be 
an  honest  man,  and  his  knowledge  be  something  won- 
derful, still,  he  has  his  notions.  Yis,  he  has  his  notions; 
so  don't  ye  be  consarned,  ef  he  acts  a  leetle  flighty." 

The  caution  certainly  did  not  come  too  soon ;  for 
after  another  gasp  had  heaved  his  chest,  and  another 
shiver  ran  through  his  frame,  The  Man  Who  had 
Missed  It,  opened  his  eyes ;  and  as  he  opened  them 
his  gaze  fell  directly  upon  the  girl.  A  more  rapid  or 
changeful  play  of  features  was  never  seen  upon  human 
countenance.  It  was  true  he  had  awoke  from  his  trance. 
But  reason,  that  sure  guide  to  correct  vision,  though 
struggling  back  from  the  depth  to  which  she  had  been 
thrown,  had  not  yet  fully  regained  ascendency.  Had 
there  been  an  angel  indeed  before  him,  the  awe  of  his 
look  could  not  have  been  more  profound  than  it  was  as 
it  rested  on  the  face  of  the  girl.  Her  hair  unbound, 
in  waves  of  gold  flowed  over  her  shoulders,  covering 
them  almost  from  sight ;  her  large  expressive  eyes  were 
fastened  on  him,  animated  to  a  degree  because  of  the 


THE  STORY  OP  THE  MAN  WHO  MISSED  IT.      391 

curiosity,  the  expectation,  and  the  sympathy  which 
possessed  their  depths. 

The  man's  face  was  yet  white  with  the  pallor  of  his 
swoon.  He  gazed  steadfastly  a  moment  at  her,  who 
had  seemed  to  his  expectant  and  indiscriminating  vision 
the  bright  being  he  had  loved  and  lost,  long  years  ago. 
And  then  he  timidly  stretched  one  hand  out  toward  her 
own,  and  after  an  instant's  hesitation,  as  if  to  summon 
courage,  he  gently  touched  the  warm  palm  with  the 
tip  of  his  finger.  Still  he  acted  like  one  undecided. 
He  struggled  up  to  a  sitting  posture ;  passed  his  thin 
hand  with  steady  pressure  over  his  temples  once  or 
twice ;  pinched  his  forehead  with  his  fingers,  as  if  by 
some  physical  effort  he  would  recall  his  wandering 
faculties ;  and  then  as  his  hand  fell  to  his  lap  he 
fixed  his  eyes  again  upon  the  girl,  and  gazed  steadily 
at  her  face. 

The  Trapper's  eye  was  on  nim,  and  he  noted  that,  as 
he  gazed,  the  look  of  awe  died  out,  and  into  its  place 
came  a  look  of  pain,  tempered  with  gentle  sadness. 

"Thou  art  like  her,"  said  he  at  length.  "Thy 
beauty  is  perhaps  as  great  as  hers ;  but  thou  art  not 
she.  Thou  hast  come  in  her  place.  She  was  true  in 
coming;  she  has  been  true  in  sending  thee ;  she  has 
kept  her  promise,  old  Trapper,  and  given  me  the 
sign." 

"  What  'sign  did  she  give  ye,  friend  ? "  said  the 
Trapper. 

"  She  said  she  would  come  each  time,  save  one,  and 
then  she  would  send  another,  as  pure  as  she,  but 


392  ADIRONDACK  TALES. 

happier ;  and  that  one  should  come  a  year,  lacking  an 
hour,  before  she  would  come.  And  when  she  came  at 
the  end  of  the  year,  lacking  an  hour,  she  would  come 
for  me,  and  we  should  find  our  second  wedding  at  an 
altar  where  death  could  not  part  us.  Young  woman, 
thou  hast  come  in  her  place,  —  the  pledge  is  kept,  and 
I  read  the  sign.  Old  Trapper,  one  year  lacking  an 
hour,  and  then  '  The  Man  Who  has  Missed  It '  will  be 
done  with  missing." 

"We  shall  die  at  the  Lord's  appintment,  friend," 
said  the  Trapper  sturdily.  "  We  shall  come  to  the 
edge  of  the  Great  Clearin'  when  the  last  step  of  the 
trail  has  been  trodden,  and  not  before,  sign  or  no  sign. 
For  no  man  may  shorten  the  number  of  his  steps,  and 
no  man  lessen  the  number  of  hours,  and  no  man  may 
set  twelve  month  beforehand  the  hour  of  his  death,  or 
the  manner  of  his  goin',  whether  he  die  in  peace  in  his 
bed,  or  be  struck  down  in  the  scrimmage.  Now, 
friend,"  said  the  Trapper,  laying  hold  of  him  gently, 
but  firmly,  "  let  me  help  ye  up,  and  do  ye  git  into  yer 
chair ;  fur  ye  be  weak  as  a  kitten,  and  I  have  other 
work  to  do,  or  the  Lord  has  made  a  mistake  in  sendin' 
this  young  woman  here.  And  now,  young  woman," 
he  resumed,  when  he  had  assisted  the  man  to  his  chair, 
"  whence  came  ye  ?  And  what  evil  has  befallen  ye 
that  ye  came  runnin'  to  my  door,  on  a  winter's  night, 
when  I  conceited  there  wasn't  a  livin'  creetur  of  my 
kind  within  fifty  mile  of  my  cabin,  and  sartinly  none 
like  ye,  who  be  from  the  settlements,  as  I  plainly  see, 
and  "  — 


THE  STORY  OF  THE  MAN  WHO  MISSED  IT.      393 

The  Trapper  turned  absolutely  white.  For  an 
instant  his  lips  moved,  as  if  struggling  for  speech, 
but  not  a  sound  issued.  At  last  he  said,  while  the 
pallor  of  an  awful  fear  spread  over  his  face,  — 

"  God  of  marcy,  young  woman  !  have  ye  come  from 
Henry?" 

"  I  don't  know  whom  you  call  Henry,"  said  the  girl, 
evidently  astonished  at  the  dreadful  looks  of  the  Trap- 
per's face,  —  the  awful  fear  and  pallor  of  it  as  much 
as  at  the  intensity  of  his  exclamation. 

It  was  a  spectacle,  indeed,  to  see  the  change  that 
came  to  the  Trapper's  countenance.  The  whiteness  of 
a  terrible  dread  vanished,  and  his  cheek  took  its 
natural  hue.  The  tightness  of  his  look  relaxed,  and 
his  fingers,  that  had  been  nervously  clutched,  unclosed 
from  the  palm. 

"  God  be  praised  !  "  said  the  Trapper,  speaking  as  a 
man  speaks  when  his  feelings  are  too  tense  for  silence. 
"  God  be  praised  fur  yer  ignorance.  I  thought,  may- 
haps,  the  boy  was  gone,  and  that  my  eyes  would 
see  his  face  no  more.  The  grave  under  the  pine  is 
enough.  When  another  of  the  three  be  made,  may  his 
eyes  see  it,  not  mine.  But  why  did  ye  come  ?  "  con- 
tinued the  Trapper,  "  and  what  be  yer  wants  ?  " 

"  My  name  is  Magnet,"  said  the  young  woman,  "  and 
I  came  for  help.  And  I  want  you  to  be  quick ;  for, 
though  I  do  not  think  he  is  suffering  from  cold,  and 
though  he  told  me  not  to  hurry,  for  he  was  in  no  pain, 
yet  I  know  he  must  be  in  pain ;  for  "  — 

"  Who  is  in  pain  ?  "  said  the  Trapper  j  "  speak  quick, 


394  ADIRONDACK  TALES. 

young  woman,  and  put  on  yer  things,  fur  ef  a  man  be 
in  pain,  and  he  is  waitin'  fur  us,  the  sooner  we  git  to 
him  the  better." 

"  It  is  my  brother,"  answered  the  girl,  slipping  into 
her  warm,  fur-lined  jacket,  and  tying  her  hood  closely 
under  her  chin,  while  the  old  Trapper  shoved  his  feet 
into  the  moccasins,  and  reached  for  the  foxskin  cap 
over  the  doorway.  "  It's  my  brother,"  she  repeated, 
"who  is  sickly,  and  has  come  into  the  woods  because 
his  physician  had  given  him  up,  and  said  he  must  die  ; 
and  my  brother  said  he  wouldn't  die,  and  I  said  so  too. 
And  the  physician  said  perhaps  he  wouldn't  if  he  could 
get  into  the  woods.  And  so  we  started  for  your  cabin, 
for  we  had  heard  of  you,  John  Norton.  My  brother 
knows  the  man  whose  brother  you  saved  in  the  rapids 
last  year,  and  he  told  us  to  come  straight  to  your 
cabin,  and  you  would  care  for  us.  And  so  we  left  our 
city  home,  as  I  said,  and  started  for  this  spot.  A 
countryman  brought  us  in  from  the  edge  of  the  woods 
till  we  struck  the  borders  of  the  lake,  just  after  the 
sun  had  set ;  and  he  wouldn't  go  another  step,  for  he 
said  the  ice  was  uncertain,  and  he  didn't  know  the 
breathing-holes.  And  he  proposed  to  camp  till  morn- 
ing and  then  come  on ;  but  my  brother  was  impatient 
to  be  here,  for  you  see  he  was  excited  in  being  so  near 
to  you,  of  whom  he  had  read  and  heard  so  much. 
And  he  said  he  would  walk  if  I  would,  and  so  we  took 
the  direction  from  the  teamster,  who  said  we  would  see 
the  light  of  your  cabin  after  we  had  passed  the  second 
island  j  and  sure  enough  we  did.  And  we  got  on 


THE  STORY  OF  THE  MAN  WHO  MISSED  IT.      395 

famously,  and  were  almost  here,  when  my  brother 
slipped  and  fell,  and  sprained  his  ankle  so  he  could  not 
walk.  But  I  could  see  the  light  shining  bright 
through  your  little  window;  and  I  hurried  on,  and 
came  running  to  your  door,  and  — you  know  the  rest." 

It  had  all  been  told  in  far  less  time  than  it  takes  to 
write  it;  for  the  girl  spoke  hurriedly  in  her  excite- 
ment, and  didn't  waste  a  word. 

"Ye  be  a  brave  girl,  Magnet,"  said  the  Trapper, 
"  and  ye  have  acted  with  jedgment.  Stay  where  ye  be, 
friend,"  said  he,  speaking  to  The  Man  Who  had  Missed 
It,  "  onless  ye  feel  like  h'istin'  two  or  three  more  logs 
onto  the  fire.  And  say,"  continued  the  Trapper,  with 
his  hand  on  the  latch,  "put  over  the  kittle  and  git  the 
water  bilin'.  The  boy  will  need  a  warmin'  drink  when 
he  comes.  No,  no,  Magnet,  ye  mustn't  walk,  yer  feet 
have  been  far  enough  to-night.  Git  onto  the  sled." 
And  the  old  man  pulled  a  sled  from  the  corner  of  the 
building,  against  which  it  was  standing,  and  threw  a 
bearskin  over  it  in  such  a  way  that  it  would  answer  for 
a  cushion  and  a  covering  both.  "  Git  onto  the  sled 
and  tuck  yerself  in,  and  I'll  give  ye  a  ride  sech  as  ye 
can't  have  in  the  settlements,  ef  yer  horse  hasn't  but 
two  legs.  No,  no,"  said  the  old  man,  laughing  to  him- 
self as  he  started  on,  "  ye  needn't  tell  me  the  direc- 
tion, fur  I've  got  the  line  of  the  trail,  and  it  isn't  often 
that  I  follow  so  small  a  track,  either."  And  the  old 
man,  laughing  to  himself,  started  on  a  dog-trot  up  the 
lake  ;  for  the  snow  on  the  ice  was  light,  and  offered 
little  impediment. 


396  ADIRONDACK  TALES. 

They  had  gone  half  a  mile,  perhaps,  when  the 
Trapper  turned  his  face  backward  to  the  sled,  and 
said,  — 

"  Well,  Magnet,  are  ye  a  good  jedge  of  distance  ?  " 

"  I  think  you  have  gone  half  way,"  said  the  girl  in 
a  clear,  hopeful  voice,  "  for  it's  a  little  this  side  of  the 
island  where  he  slipped." 

"Good  enough,"  said  the  Trapper;  "ye've  got  a 
jedgmatical  eye  fur  sartin,  and  as  it  isn't  likely  to 
wake  any  neighbors,  I'll  send  a  sound  down  towards 
yer  brother  that'  11  let  him  know  we  ain't  a  thousand 
miles  off."  And  the  old  Trapper  came  to  a  stop  for  a 
single  step,  and  sent  a  call  from  his  mouth  into  the 
frosty  air,  the  echoes  of  which,  passing  on  from  bluff 
to  bluff,  must  have  gone  nearly  to  the  inlet. 

The  girl  laughed  pleasantly  at  the  energy  of  the 
sound. 

"  S-h !  "  said  the  Trapper. 

An  answering  halloa  came  across  the  surface  of  the 
snow.  A  brave  and  cheerful  sound  it  was,  full  of  glad- 
some courage,  although  by  no  means  strong ;  as  if  the 
spirit  rather  than  the  mouth  sent  it  forth. 

"That  is  Tom,"  said  the  girl.  "Dear  old  fellow! 
I'm  afraid  he  thinks  I  have  been  gone  a  long  time." 

"  He's  a  good  un,"  said  the  Trapper,  "  ef  a  man  can 
be  jedged  by  the  sound  of  his  voice ;  fur  his  call  had 
hope  in  it,  and  a  kind  of  cheerful  sartinty  that  a  coward 
couldn't  send  forth." 

"  Tom  is  no  coward,"  said  the  girl.  "  He  would 
have  died  long  ago  if  he  hadn't  been  determined  not 


THE  STORY  OF  THE  MAN  WHO  MISSED  IT.      397 

to.  You  don't  think  he  will  die  up  here,  do  you,  John 
Norton  ? "  and  the  girl  put  the  question  plaintively. 

"Die?"  ejaculated  the  Trapper.  "  Sartinly  not. 
No  one  can  die  up  here,  onless  the  number  of  his  days 
be  run  out  by  reason  of  his  years;  or  his  sperit  be 
crushed  by  reason  of  his  troubles.  Die?  No.  No 
man  can  die  with  an  appetite ;  and  yer  brother  will  be 
eatin'  like  Henry  himself  afore  he  has  been  in  the 
cabin  a  week." 

"  Who  is  Henry  ?  "  asked  the  girl. 

"  Henry  be  mine,"  said  the  Trapper.  "I  had  two 
—  Henry  and  the  Lad.  The  Lad  be  gone,  but  Henry 
be  left.  Ye'll  know  him  some  day,  perhaps." 

"  I  didn't  know  that  you  had  children,"  said  the 
girl. 

"  Not  arter  the  flesh,  Magnet,  not  arter  the  flesh  ;  but 
arter  the  sperit,  —  and  Henry  and  the  Lad  be  mine 
arter  the  sperit." 

While  the  dialogue  had  been  going  on  the  old  Trap- 
per had  maintained  his  steady  trot,  and  at  a  pace  that 
ate  up  the  distance  of  a  mile  rapidly. 

"  I  see  him !  "  said  the  Trapper  in  a  moment.  "  He 
has  crawled  into  the  pint  of  the  island,  and  is  jest 
lightin'  him  a  fire.  Yer  brother  has  his  wits  about 
him,  that  is  sartin,  and  is  actin'  like  a  man  of  sense. 
But  we'll  give  him  a  better  fire  than  he'd  make  out 
here  ef  he  burnt  the  island  over.  Here  we  are,"  said 
the  Trapper  in  a  moment,  as  he  swung  up  to  the  point 
of  the  island.  "Here  we  are,  young  man!  and  the 
cabin  is  not  far  away." 


398  ADIRONDACK  TALES. 

"  Tom,  dear  Tom  !  "  said  the  girl,  as  she  jumped  from 
the  sled ;  and  running  up  to  the  man  seated  on  the 
shore,  she  flung  both  her  arms  around  his  neck,  and 
kissed  him. 

"  Dear  Tom,  here  is  John  Norton !  " 

"  Never  mind  the  greetin',  now,"  said  the  old  man. 
"  The  air  be  bitin' ;  and  the  cabin  be  warm." 

And  putting  his  arms  out,  he  lifted  the  young  man 
upon  the  sled  and  wrapped  him  up  warmly  in  the  skin, 
and  without  another  word  he  seized  hold  of  the  tongue 
of  the  sled  and  started  toward  the  cabin. 

The  girl,  with  many  questions  to  her  brother  touch- 
ing his  feelings,  and  with  many  a  cheering  word  touch- 
ing the  warm  fire  ahead  and  the  hearty  greeting  she 
had  received  from  the  Trapper,  tramped  along  beside 
him.  Thus  the  three,  —  the  Trapper,  happy  in  the 
thought  of  the  deed  he  was  doing ;  the  young  man 
who  was  determined  not  to  die ;  and  the  girl  whose 
love  was  equal  to  his  courage,  —  passed  rapidly  on  over 
the  snow,  and  came  to  the  Trapper's  cabin. 


THE  STORY  OF  THE  MAN   WHO  MISSED  IT.      399 


CHAPTER   VI. 

THE  Trapper  flung  open  the  door,  and,  lifting  the 
young  man  bodily  from  the  sled  as  if  he  had  been  but 
a  child,  carried  him  into  the  cabin  and  placed  him  down 
in  the  great  arm-chair  that  stood  in  front  of  the  fire, 
while  his  sister  removed  his  cap,  overcoat  and  wrap- 
pings, with  a  quickness  and  dexterity  which  only  a 
woman  brings  to  the  performance  of  such  homely 
ministries.  It  took  but  a  few  moments  of  time  for  the 
Trapper  to  examine  the  young  man's  ankle,  which, 
when  he  had  done,  he  proceeded  to  dress  with  its 
proper  wrappings ;  for  in  his  checkered  and  eventful 
life — on  march,  in  battle,  and  in  hospital  —  he  had 
had  no  little  practice  in  practical  surgery. 

"  Ye  sartinly  had  a  pritty  sudden  slip ;  and  ye've  got 
a  pritty  bad  strain  in  the  ankle  here,"  said  the  old 
Trapper  as  he  was  preparing  to  wind  the  bandage  on  to 
the  extended  limb ;  "  and  a  strain  in  the  ankle  is  eena- 
most  as  bad  as  a  crick  in  the  back.  And  either  of  'em 
is  enough  to  larn  a  man  his  mortality,  as  I  conceit. 
It's  sartinly  strange  how  the  givin'-out  of  some  leetle 
jint,  or  cord,  or  bone  in  a  man's  body,  will  kink  him 
ap  as  much  as  it  does." 

"  The  old  hymn  says,"  said  the  girl,  speaking  in  a 
bright,  cheerful  tone,  — 

"  Strange  that  a  harp  of  a  thousand  strings 
Should  keep  in  tune  so  long." 


400  ADIRONDACK  TALES. 

"That's  a  goodly  number  of  strings,"  said  the 
Trapper,  answering  her  bright  look  with  a  face  that 
broadened  and  beamed  in  its  good-nature ;  "  that's  a 
goodly  number  of  strings,  Magnet,  fur  an  ordinary-sized 
instrerment  to  have.  I  was  up  in  the  fur  country, 
nigh  on  to  ten  years  ago,  where  the  Injuns  and  half- 
breeds  hunt  fur  the  Company,  —  and  I  don't  conceit  that 
a  meaner  set  of  human  bein's  be  on  the  'arth ;  fur 
atween  their  thievin'  and  their  drinkin'  and  their 
murderin'  they  keep  an  honest  man  pritty  active.  Ye 
see,  I  went  up  there  to  sorter  see  the  country  and  have 
a  good  taste  of  trapping  as  I  used  to  know  it ;  fur  I'd 
heerd  that  fur  was  plenty  in  them  parts,  and  the 
country  not  overcrowded.  So  I  jest  went  up  there, 
and,  pickin'  out  a  couple  of  good  streams,  I  went  to 
work  in  an  honest  sort  of  a  way.  I  hadn't  been  there 
more  than  a  week  afore  a  half-dozen  of  the  half-breeds, 
with  two  or  three  Frenchers,  dropped  into  my  cabin 
one  night  to  warn  me  off.  They  was  a  pritty  noisy 
set  of  chaps,  and  arter  a  good  deal  of  blusterin'  they 
said  they'd  give  me  jest  two  days  to  git  out  of  the 
country." 

"  Did  you  go,  John  Norton  ? "  asked  the  girl  with 
her  bright  eyes  fixed  on  the  old  Trapper's  animated 
countenance,  as  he  continued  to  wind  on  the  bandage. 

"Not  exactly  in  the  two  days,  Magnet,"  said  the 
old  Trapper,  looking  up  with  a  gleam  in  his  eye  that 
chilled  the  humor  of  their  expression  ;  "  I  sorter  argued 
with  them  fur  a  while.  I  told  'em  that  I'd  come  up  to 
see  the  country  and  git  acquainted  with  their  way  of 


THE  STORY  OF  THE  MAN  WHO  MISSED  IT.      401 

doin'  things  and  have  a  sorter  of  a  breathin'  spell ;  that 
I  didn't  mean  to  do  anything  wrong  or  make  any 
inimies.  Ef  they  had  any  streams  they  specially  liked, 
seem'  as  how  they  was  natives,  I'd  stand  aside  and  take 
some  poorer  ones.  Ye  see,  Magnet,  I  talked  sorter  easy 
to  'em,  for  ef  there  was  to  be  a  fight,  I  wanted  to  be  on 
the  right  side,  and  I  conceit  that  a  man  who  tries  to  git 
along  without  a  fight  is  on  the  right  side  of  it,  ef  he 
has  to  go  into  it  arter  all." 

"  I  hope  you  didn't  have  to  fight,  did  you,  John  Nor- 
ton ?  "  asked  the  girl. 

"  It  got  pritty  near  it,"  said  the  Trapper;  "yis,  it  got 
pritty  near  it,"  repeated  he,  as  he  held  up  the  coarse 
needle  that  he  was  trying  to  thread  between  the  fire 
and  his  eye,  "  for  I  barnt  considerable  powder  off  and 
on  afore  I  got  rid  of  the  critters.  Ye  see,  they  was 
sorter  onreasonable,  and  they  wouldn't  listen  to  sense ; 
and,  arter  I  found  they  hadn't  any  jedgment,  I  left 
off  talkin'." 

"  What  did  you  do,  John  Norton,"  said  the  young 
man  whose  face  showed  that  he  was  following  the  Trap- 
per's experience  with  intense  interest,  "after  you  left 
off  talking?" 

"  Well,  ye  see,"  answered  the  Trapper,  "  they  was  on- 
reasonable,  and  there  wasn't  but  one  thing  to  do, — 
I  sartinly  think  this  needle  hasn't  got  an  eye  to  it.  I 
wish  I  could  git  a  needle  that  a  man  could  git  a  de- 
cent-sized string  through  in  less  than  a  half  an  hour's 
punchin',  — there  wasn't  but  one  thing  to  do,"  contin- 
ued the  Trapper,  having  at  last,  by  the  sheerest  luck, 


402  ADIRONDACK  TALES. 

found  the  eye  of  the  needle  :  "  ye  see,  they  got  to  talkin' 
louder  and  louder,  and  then  they  went  to  sorter  hand- 
lin'  their  knives  and  edgin'  round  me,  till  I  conceited 
the  thing  had  gone  about  fur  enough,  and  so  I  reached 
fur  my  rifle,  loosened  my  knife  a  trifle,  and  spoke  to  the 
pups,  who  sartinly  seemed  to  understand  their  lingo, 
fur  their  bristles  was  up  and  their  teeth  lookin'  sassy. 
So  I  jest  reached  fur  the  rifle  and  spoke  to  the  pups, 
and  we  eddicated  them  half-breeds  fur  about  five  min- 
its,  and  gin  them  our  idees  of  the  matter." 

"I  shouldn't  have  thought,"  said  the  young  man, 
"  that  you  could  have  held  your  own  against  them  all." 

"  There  was  considerable  doubt  who  owned  the  cabin 
for  a  minit  or  two,"  answered  the  Trapper,  "  fur  though 
there  wasn't  any  of  them  very  big  sized,  yit  they  be- 
longed to  a  nimble  breed ;  and  a  nimble  fellow  in  a 
scrimmage  is  a  man  ye  have  to  look  out  fur ;  but  the  pups 
was  a  good  deal  of  help,  fur  they  didn't  like  the  smell 
of  the  critters  from  the  fust,  and  they  showed  consider- 
able arnestness ;  and  I  had  got  rather  riled  myself  in 
the  talkin',  fur  they  was  mighty  sassy,  I  can  tell  ye. 
And  so  when  I  let  loose  on  'em,  I  did  it  with  the  feelin' 
of  a  man  who  has  got  wusted  in  the  talkin',  and  had  got 
to  make  it  up  in  the  doin'.  Yis,  it  was  a  lively  time 
for  sartin,"  said  the  Trapper,  laughing  to  himself,  "  fur 
though  I  didn't  barn  any  powder,  —  fur  ye  see,  Magnet. 
I  didn't  want  to  do  any  violence,  I  only  wanted  to  sor- 
ter eddicate  'em  a  leetle  and  give  'em  the  main  pints  of 
the  case,  as  I  understood  the  rights  of  the  matter,  — 
I  did  use  the  rifle  stock  a  leetle  loose,  and  when  that 


THE  STORY  OF  THE  MAN  WHO  MISSED  IT.      403 

broke,  I  reasoned  with  'em  with  a  small  bench  there  was 
in  the  cabin  till  the  cabin  got  too  small  to  hold  anything 
more  than  the  bench  and  the  pups ;  for  a  bench  can  fill 
up  a  good  deal  of  room  ef  ye  handle  it  a  leetle  loosely 
and  ain't  too  particular  what  it  hits." 

"  Did  they  let  you  alone  after  that  ? "  asked  the 
young  man. 

"No,  they  didn't,"  said  the  Trapper;  "they  pestered 
me  all  they  could ;  but  I  stood  my  own  fur  nigh  on  to 
a  month,  and  they  hadn't  been  playin'  their  devilments 
on  me  more'n  a  week  afore  it  got  to  be  a  good  deal 
like  the  old-fashioned  times ;  and  the  man  that  could 
send  lead  straightest  and  git  to  cover  quickest,  had  the 
best  of  it.  I  stood  my  own  as  long  as  I  conceited  it 
was  safe,  and  then  I  gathered  up  my  traps  and  took 
the  back  trail,  fur  the  whole  country  was  actally  swarm- 
in'  ;  and  they  follered  me  nigh  on  to  fifty  mile,  and 
we  had  a  good  deal  of  dodgin'  and  shootin'  along  the 
way.  But  I  got  out  of  it  alive,  and  I  brought  back  one 
whole  skin  anyway,  and  that's  more  than  a  dozen  or 
more  of  'em  could  say." 

"  I  don't  see  why  you  should  run  such  risks,  John 
Norton,"  said  the  girl,  "  merely  for  the  sake  of  a  few 
skins." 

"  Resk !  "  answered  the  Trapper ;  "  there  wasn't  any 
special  resk,  as  I  know  on,  for  there  wasn't  any  of 
their  tricks  that  I  hadn't  seen  afore ;  and  I  could  tell 
jest  about  what  the  sneakin'  critters  would  do.  Ef  I 
had  only  had  Henry  with  me,  and  the  Lad,  and  the  boy 
had  liked  the  fun,  we  would  have  stayed,  and  trapped 


404  ADIRONDACK  TALES. 

the  season  through,  and  we'd  picked  our  streams,  too. 
For  with  one  good  rifle  in  the  cabin  and  two  trusty 
pieces  on  the  trail,  there  aint  half-breeds  enough  in  the 
north  country  to  drive  'em  out  ef  they've  made  up  their 
minds  to  stay.  There,"  said  he,  as  he  finished  sewing 
the  bandage  and  stuck  the  needle  into  the  lapel  of  his 
coat,  "  there,  young  man,  ye  needn't  worry  about  yer 
ankle;  the  pain  is  about  out  of  it  now,  and  ye'll  be 
usin'  it  as  well  as  the  other  in  a  day  or  two.  And 
now,"  said  he,  rising  to  his  feet,  "what  shall  I  call 
ye,  young  man?  And  what  can  I  do  fur  ye  ?  " 

"  You  are  to  call  him  Tom,"  said  the  girl,  "  and  you 
are  to  call  me  Magnet.  We've  got  other  names,  of 
course,  by  which  we  are  known  in  the  city ;  but  we've 
come  up  here  to  be  children  —  Tom  to  get  well,  and 
I  to  help  him  get  well.  So  call  him  Tom  and  call  me 
Magnet;  won't  that  do?"  and  the  girl  looked  brightly 
up  into  the  old  Trapper's  face. 

"  Sartinly,  sartinly,"  said  the  old  Trapper,  laughing ; 
"  one  name  is  as  good  as  another  ef  the  man  that  owns 
it  is  contented  with  it.  Ef  ye  want  to  be  children,  ye 
shall  be  children,  and  I'll  call  ye  by  the  names  ye  have 
said." 

"  But  you  asked  us  what  you  could  do  for  us,  John 
Norton,"  she  replied. 

"Sartinly,  Magnet;  that's  what  I  said,"  responded 
the  Trapper. 

"We  want  you  to  build  a  house  for  us,"  said  the 
girl,  —  "a  little  log  house  just  like  this,  right  beside 
yours  here  somewhere,  and  we've  brought  everything 


THE  STORY  OF  THE  MAN  WHO  MISSED  IT.      405 

in  to  furnish  it.  It's  all  down  on  the  load  with  the 
teamster  —  bedding  and  chairs  and  provisions,  and 
everything  we  need ;  and  if  you  will  only  build  us  a 
house  right  here  by  yours,  and  let  us  live  with  you  till 
Tom  gets  well,  I  shall  be  the  happiest  girl  in  the 
world.  Will  you  do  it,  John  Norton  ?  " 

"  Sartinly,  Magnet,  sartinly.  I've  built  a  great  many 
housen,  as  ye  call'  em,  in  my  day  with  nothin'  but  ai\ 
axe ;  and  I  can  throw  ye  up  a  cabin  in  a  couple  of  days., 
and  a  snug  un,  too.  Ye  can  live  as  comfortable  in  it  as 
a  squirrel  in  his  hole." 

"But  we  want  to  board  with  you,  John  Norton," 
continued  the  girl ;  "  we  want  to  come  over  to  eat  at 
your  table  and  stay  with  you  all  the  time  when  we  are 
not  asleep.  May  we  do  it  ?" 

"  Of  course  ye  may,"  said  the  Trapper  ;  "  and  ye  shall 
have  enough  to  eat,  for  venison  is  plenty  and  fat  this 
winter." 

The  girl  stooped  and  whispered  to  her  brother  for  a 
moment,  and  then  she  looked  up  to  the  Trapper  and, 
hesitating,  said, — 

"  How  much  will  you  let  us  pay  you  a  week  for  our 
board,  John  Norton  ?  " 

"  I  don't  understand  ye,"  said  the  Trapper ;  and  he 
looked  from  the  face  of  the  girl  to  the  brother,  and 
then  from  the  brother's  face  to  hers,  and  again  he  said, 
"  I  don't  understand  ye." 

A  fine  color  came  into  the  girl's  face.  She  looked 
at  her  brother  and  hesitated  a  moment  as  if  studying 
for  the  best  possible  way  to  say  what,  woman-like,  she 


406  ADIRONDACK  TALES. 

was  determined  to  say,  and  then,  dashing  at  it  with  the 
charming  frankness  that  became  her  so  well,  she  burst 
out :  — 

"  We  are  not  poor,  John  Norton,  we  are  rich.  We 
have  all  the  money  we  want,  and  more  too,  and  we 
don't  want  to  be  beggars ;  we  want  to  pay  you  for  all 
your  trouble  ;  and  we  shall  be  a  great  trouble  to  you : 
so  do  tell  us  what  we  shall  pay  you." 

"  Magnet,"  said  the  Trapper,  "  I  know  leetle  of 
what  ye  call  money,  and  I  need  leetle ;  fur  the  wants 
of  a  man  who  lives  accordin'  to  natur'  are  few  and  his 
needs  be  easily  met.  Ye  and  yer  brother  have  come  to 
my  cabin,  and  ye  are  welcome  to  stay ;  and  all  that's 
mine  ye  are  welcome  to.  And  as  fur  yer  money,  I 
have  no  need  of  it,  and  so  that  is  settled.  And  as  ye 
have  told  me  yer  names,  I  will  tell  ye  the  names  of 
them  that  be  here.  The  dog  on  yer  right,  Magnet,  is 
Sport ;  the  one  on  yer  left  is  Rover,  and  they  be  well 
bred.  Ye'll  find  both  companionable  arter  their  kind. 
Ye' 11  find  Rover  a  leetle  slow  and  not  given  to  play,  fur 
the  dog  is  ageing,  and  years  makes  man  and  dog  alike 
grave  and  steady.  And  now  that  ye  know  the  pups,  I 
will  introduce  ye  to  my  friend.  Children,"  said  the 
old  man,  turning  toward  his  guest,  who  came  forward 
from  the  corner  of  the  room  in  which  he  had  been 
silently  sitting,  "  children,  this  is  a  man  who  came  in 
trouble  to  my  door,  and  I  made  him  welcome.  He  has 
had  his  griefs  and  his  sorrers,  and  he  calls  himself 
'  The  Man  Who  has  Missed  It,'  and  I  don't  gainsay 
his  name ;  but  I  call  him  '  Friend,'  for  that  is  the 


THE  STORY  OF  THE  MAN  WHO  MISSED  IT.      407 

shorter  name,  and  as  between  him  and  me  it  answers 
the  parpose  of  our  companionship.  The  dog  ye  see  by 
his  side  he  calls, '  Lucky.'  I  don't  conceit  the  reason  of 
the  name ;  but  that  doesn't  matter.  The  dog  is  a 
knowin'  dog,  and  Lucky  is  his  name.  And  now  that 
we  know  each  other,"  said  the  Trapper,  as  if  slightly 
relieved  that  the  introduction  was  over,  "now,  friend 
and  children,  sence  we  all  know  each  other,  we  can  all 
feel  that  we  are  at  home,"  and  so  saying,  the  old  Trap- 
per seated  himself  as  did  the  others  around  the  great 
fire  that  roared  and  crackled  and  flamed  its  flashes  and 
spangles  of  light  in  vagrant  gleams  into  the  otherwise 
dark  recesses  and  corners  of  the  great  room. 

So  the  four  were  sitting  on  Christmas  Eve  in  the  cabin 
in  the  wilderness.  In  the  cities  chimes  were  being 
tuned  in  preparation  for  joyous  Christmas  morn. 
Parents  were  busy  in  those  secret  ministries  of  love 
which  make  happy  the  hearts  of  the  children.  And 
children  themselves  were  sleeping,  dreaming  happily  of 
the  morrow,  save  here  and  there  a  child,  perhaps,  that 
had  no  parent,  had  no  love  to  make  ready  gifts,  had 
no  happy  Christmas  morrow,  and  into  whose  uneasy 
slumber  would  come  that  night  no  bright  vision  of  gift 
and  happy  festival. 

"  Children,"  said  the  Trapper  after  a  few  moments 
of  silence,  "  my  friend  here  was  tellin'  the  story  of  his 
life  afore  ye  come  in,  Magnet,  and  though  I  have 
knowed  a  good  many  folks  that  had  their  struggles, 
and  I  have  had  some  disappintments  myself  off  and 
on?  —  leetle  setbacks  sech  as  a  man  is  likely  to  git  in  a 


408  ADIRONDACK  TALES. 

scrimmage  or  a  square  stand-up  fight,  where  a  good 
deal  of  powder  is  barnt  and  the  knife  and  the  rifle-stock 
is  used  careless  like,  —  yit  I  never  knowed  a  man  in  all 
my  life  that  has  had  anywhere  near  as  much  up-hill 
work,  from  the  beginning  as  my  friend  has,  accordin'  to 
his  tellin'.  Fur  ye  see,  children,  to  start  with,  his 
mother  and  father  was  lost  at  sea,  when  he  was  a  leetle 
babe,  and  all  on  board  the  ship  was  lost  with  'em  ;  and 
he  —  leetle  babe  as  he  was  —  was  the  only  bein'  saved. 
I've  read  in  the  Scriptur'  that  the  Lord  notes  the  leetle 
sparrers,  and  sorter  keeps  an  eye  on  the  foxes,  though 
I  don't  see  exactly  the  necessity  of  that ;  fur  a  fox  be 
a  cunnin'  critter,  and  I  never  knowed  an  old  mother- 
fox  that  couldn't  take  care  of  herself,  and  her  kittens 
too,  ef  there  was  an  average  run  of  rabbits,  and 
partridge  was  ordinarily  thick.  Still,  I  don't  doubt 
what  the  Scriptur'  says,  ye  understand  ;  and  I  suppose 
that  the  eyes  of  the  Lord  be  sighted  to  see  everything ; 
and  so  he  couldn't  overlook,  ef  he  wanted  to,  the 
foxes." 

"  I  suppose,"  said  Magnet,  "  that  in  the  sentence  you 
have  quoted,  the  Saviour  was  comparing  his  poverty 
with  the  birds  and  the  foxes,  and  meant  to  suggest  that 
while  the  birds  had  their  nests  for  a  home  and  the  foxes 
had  their  holes,  he  had  no  home  on  the  earth." 

The  old  man  deliberated  a  moment  as  if  the  girl  had 
suggested  a  new  idea  to  him,  and  then  continued  :  — 

"It  may  be  as  ye  say,  Magnet.  It  sartinly  looks 
sorter  reasonable  as  ye  think  of  it ;  but  there  is  difficul- 
ties in  accountin'  fur  it  onless  the  camps  in  his  country 


THE  STORY  OF  THE  MAN   WHO  MISSED  IT.      409 

was  a  good  way  apart,  or  the  people  onnaterally  stingy, 
fur  he  couldn't  have  struck  any  region  here  in  the 
woods  and  fetched  a  trail  through  fifty  mile  and  not 
found  a  man  to  take  him  in  and  gin  him  a  good 
welcome;  and  a  cabin,  ef  the  jints  of  the  loggin'  be 
well  made  and  it  is  well  placed  as  to  wood  and  water, 
and  the  game  is  anyway  plenty,  isn't  a  bad  place  to 
live  in,  specially  ef  a  man  happens  to  be  without  a 
home.  But  it  may  be  as  ye  say,  Magnet,  only  they 
must  have  been  a  mighty  mean  set,  take  them  as  they 
run,  when  the  Lord  was  on  the  arth." 

"  They  were,  John  Norton,"  said  the  girl.  "  They 
were  hard-hearted  and  cruel,  and  they  hated  him 
because  he  was  good,  and  he  came  to  make  them 
better." 

"  I  heerd  the  missioners  say  that  that  was  the  real 
gist  of  the  matter,"  answered  the  Trapper; "but  they 
didn't  put  it  as  well  as  ye  have,  Magnet;  fur  they 
made  a  good  many  words  about  it,  and  sort  of  mixed 
things  up  so  that  me  and  the  pups  had  to  do  a  good  deal 
of  councillin'  arter wards  to  make  out  jest  what  they 
meant;  but  ef  he  hadn't  any  home,"  continued  the 
Trapper,  looking  toward  his  friend,  "he  wasn't  any 
wuss  off  than  my  friend  here,  fur  the  only  home  he 
had  was  the  poorhouse,  and  it  wasn't  a  very  comfortable 
spot  either  for  a  mortal  to  enjoy  himself  in,  as  he 
picturs  it.  And  then  the  wust  of  it  was,  ye  see,  he 
didn't  know  his  name,  for  his  mother  and  father  was 
drowned  when  he  was  a  leetle  babe ;  and  a  man  with- 
out any  name  is  as  bad  off  as  a  dog  without  any  name, 


410  ADIRONDACK  TALES. 

—  nobody  knows  who  he  is,  and  he  don't  know  who  he 
is  himself ;  and  my  friend  here  didn't  know  who  he 
was ;  and,  as  he  says,  he  hadn't  mother  nor  father,  nor 
country  nor  home,  nor  friend  nor  name,  and  that's  a 
count  that  brings  a  man  to  the  last  skin  in  the  pack, 
as  I  conceit." 

"  But  certainly,"  said  the  girl,  casting  a  pitying  look 
toward  the  Man  Who  had  Missed  It,  who  was  gazing 
with  a  sober  expression  into  the  fire,  but  who,  in 
answer  to  her  look,  lifted  his  eyes  to  her  face  as  one 
who  would  take  of  the  beauty  and  goodness  of  it  as 
they  who  are  hungry  take  food,  "  certainly,  he  found 
friends  at  last." 

"  Yis,"  said  the  Trapper,  "  he  did,  and  good  friends, 
too,  that  took  him  from  the  poorhouse  and  gave  him  a 
home  with  them." 

"  How  many  were  there  in  the  family  ? "  asked  the 
girl,  and  she  looked  not  at  the  Trapper,  but  at  The 
Man  Who  had  Missed  It. 

"There  were  three,"  answered  the  man:  "the  father 
my  benefactor  —  and  he  spoke  the  word  with  the  fall- 
ing inflection  of  reverence  —  his  wife,  and  one  child  — 
a  daughter." 

"  Now,"  said  the  Trapper,  "  ye've  got  nigh  to  the 
pint  we  was  at  when  yer  comin'  broke  us  off,  —  least- 
wise, pretty  near  it.  Ye  see,  my  friend,  who  was  a  boy 
then,  growed  up  with  the  girl,  and  as  was  nateral,  they 
growed  to  love  each  other.  The  weddin'  day  was  set, 
and  they  were  actally  in  front  of  the  minister  who  was 
to  marry  'em,  and  somethin'  happened." 


THE  STORY  OF  THE  MAN  WHO  MISSED  IT.      411 

"  What  happened  then  ?  "  asked  the  girl  eagerly,  and 
she  and  her  brother  both  turned  their  faces  quickly 
toward  The  Man  Who  had  Missed  It. 

The  Man  Who  had  Missed  It,  again  lifted  his  face 
to  the  girl's,  and  said  in  a  calm,  steady,  but  infinitely 
sad  tone,  — 

"  My  bride  fell  dead  at  the  altar." 

The  faces  of  the  two  young  people  were  a  study  to 
see.  How  full  of  finest  ministry  to  the  sorrow  of  this 
world  is  the  expression  which  the  faces  of  the  sym- 
pathetic can  give  us  in  our  trouble !  The  girl  rose 
quietly  from  her  chair,  moved  to  the  side  of  The  Man 
Who  had  Missed  It,  and  lifting  one  of  his  hands  held 
it  for  a  moment  in  both  her  own,  and  then  she  laid  it 
down  on  the  arm  of  the  chair,  and  quietly  reseated 
herself. 

The  dog,  Lucky,  came  round  in  front  of  the  girl, 
moved  up  to  her  side,  and  lifting  his  muzzle  gently 
caressed  her  hand  resting  on  the  arm  of  her  chair. 

"  The  dog's  a  knowin'  dog,"  said  the  Trapper, 
nodding  to  the  brother ;  "  there  isn't  much  goin'  on  in 
this  cabin  that  he  don't  see.  I'm  a  leetle  onsartin 
about  the  cross,  but  he's  got  good  breedin'  in  him 
somewhere,  ef  it  is  a  good  deal  mixed." 

"  Now,  friend,"  said  the  Trapper,  "  ef  ye  feel  like  it, 
and  the  children  don't  feel  sleepy,  I  would  like  to  have 
ye  take  up  the  trail  of  yer  story  where  Magnet's  comin' 
crossed  it,  and  carry  it  on  a  leetle,  and  I  sartinly  hope 
there  didn't  anything  else  happen  of  evil  after  yer 
bride  was  taken  away  from  ye;  for  ef  there  did,  it 


412  ADIRONDACK  TALES. 

sartinly  looks  as  ef  the  Lord  had  overlooked  ye  in  the 
appintments  of  his  marcy  with  which  he  tempers  the 
lot  of  the  weak  and  the  unfortinit,  and  levels  the 
ups  and  downs  of  life  to  some  sort  of  a  respectable 
average.'' 

"  John  Norton,"  answered  the  man,  "  my  bride  had 
scarcely  been  buried  before  another  calamity  almost  as 
great  as  her  death  befell  me." 

"Friend,"  said  the  Trapper,  "ef  I  didn't  know  ye 
was  a  truthful  man,  I  should  sartinly  doubt  the  story 
ye  be  tellin'  me ;  fur  of  all  the  men  I  have  ever  seed 
that  had  woes  on  the  arth,  —  and  my  eyes  have  seed 
human  trouble  enough  to  make  me  at  times  doubt  ef 
the  Lord  is  mindful  of  his  creeturs,  —  I  never  seed  a 
man  that  had  gained  so  leetle  and  missed  so  much  as 
yerself.  And  now,  friend,  be  careful  of  yer  words,  and 
make  nothin'  larger  than  it  was ;  but  tell  me  plainly 
what  of  evil  happened  to  ye  next  ?  " 

The  man  looked  into  the  face  of  the  Trapper  witn 
clear  and  steady  gaze,  and  then,  as  if  he  would  pick 
the  fewest  possible  words  to  describe  the  greatest  possi- 
ble grief,  he  said,  — 

"  My  benefactor  died  !  " 


THE  STORY  OF  THE  MAN   WHO  MISSED  IT.      413 


CHAPTER  VII. 

FOR  a  full  moment  no  one  spoke.  The  three  looked 
at  The  Man  Who  had  Missed  It,  with  eyes  which  ex- 
pressed the  sympathy  of  their  hearts,  but  no  word 
escaped  them.  Indeed,  they  knew  not  what  to  say. 
The  death  of  his  benefactor,  following  so  swiftly  as  it 
did  the  death  of  his  bride,  put  such  a  climax  to  pre- 
cedent misfortunes,  that  the  hearers  felt  themselves 
unable  to  express,  in  words,  an  adequate  sense  of  his 
overwhelming  loss.  For  several  minutes  the  silence 
continued,  when  The  Man  Who  had  Missed  It,  inter- 
rupted it  by  resuming  his  narrative  :  — 

"  Yes,  my  benefactor  died  ;  —  died  as  suddenly  as  his 
daughter  had  died  before  him.  He  was  standing  by 
my  side  in  the  laboratory,  conducting  with  me  a  system 
of  experiments.  He  was  stating  a  proposition,  and 
looking  directly  in  iny  face,  when  a  change,  swift  as  a 
flash,  came  to  his  countenance.  The  very  word  he  was 
speaking  halted  in  his  throat.  He  threw  his  hands 
into  the  air  and  dropped,  without  a  moan  or  a  struggle, 
dead  at  my  feet.  The  double  misfortune  literally 
broke  the  heart  of  the  mother  and  the  wife ;  and  she, 
too,  died  that  night,  and  we  buried  them  both  at  the 
same  time,  one  coffin  on  either  side  of  my  bride's 
coffin,  —  three  coffins  in  one  grave,  John  Norton.  And 
when  the  mound  was  rounded  over  the  three,  I  stood 


414  ADIRONDACK  TALES. 

beside  it,  once  more  without  a  home  and  without  a 
friend.  All  that  I  had  won  I  had  lost;  all  I  had 
hoped  for  I  had  suddenly  missed." 

"No,  you  had  not  lost  all,"  said  the  girl,  and  her 
face  brightened,  "  you  had  not  lost  all ;  for  you  had 
your  mind  and  your  learning  left.  And  all  the  wisdom 
and  cunning  that  learning  had  brought  to  your  natural 
abilities  were  with  you.  Were  they  not,  John  Nor- 
ton ?"  and  the  girl  flashed  a  glance  into  the  old  man's 
face. 

"  Sartinly,  sartinly,  Magnet !  "  responded  the  Trap- 
per ;  "  knowledge  be  a  thing  ye  can't  take  from  a  man, 
nor  a  hound,  onless  ye  kill  him.  And  a  man  with 
larnin'  can  do  eenamost  anything  ef  he  has  the  right 
sperit  within  him." 

"  I  admit  the  force  of  what  you  say,"  said  the  man. 
"  It  is  true  that  no  calamity  which  leaves  the  reason 
untouched  and  the  spirit  unsubdued  can  rob  man  of 
the  powers  and  pleasures  of  intelligence.  And  this 
thought  it  was  which  strengthened  me  in  my  affliction. 
And  when  I  left  the  neighborhood,  where  I  had  spent 
so  many  happy  years,  I  carried  with  me  a  great  grief, 
indeed,  but  with  it  also  a  great  hope.  And  I  faced  the 
uncertainties  of  the  future  with  a  spirit  braced  to 
overcome  its  obstacles,  and  to  remove  whatever  impedi- 
ment there  might  be  in  my  path." 

"  Ye  was  wise  in  that,"  said  the  Trapper.  "  I've  been 
in  some  tight  places  myself,  off  and  on,  in  my  life ;  but 
I  was  never  in  a  place  yit  that  I  didn't  git  out  of,  and 
in  pritty  good  shape,  too,  consider-in'  all  the  sarcum- 


THE  STORY  OF  THE  MAN  WHO  MISSED  IT.      415 

stances.  I  don't  doubt  but  what  ye  got  along  pritty 
well,  friend,  arter  ye  got  to  work;  and  ef  ye  don't 
mind  tellin'  us,  I  would  like  to  know  what  trail  ye 
struck  arter  ye  left  the  three  graves." 

"I  have  told  you,"  said  the  man,  "that  I  was  by 
nature  ingenious.  I  was  born  with  the  faculty  of  in- 
vention. With  my  benefactor  I  had  been  a  student  of 
Nature.  With  him  I  had  discovered  many  of  the 
forces  which  are  in  the  earth  and  the  air.  I  discovered 
the  law  which  governs  the  movement  of  storms.  I 
made  myself  acquainted  with  the  scientists  of  the  age. 
I  showed  them  my  data.  I  unfolded  the  principle.  In 
my  enthusiasm  I  gave  them  all  the  facts  which  years 
of  patient  investigation  had  brought  to  my  knowledge. 
I  did  it  in  the  enthusiasm  born  of  my  success.  I  had 
no  doubt  of  my  reward." 

"  You  got  your  reward  ? "  said  the  girl  inter- 
rogatively. 

"  I  got  no  reward,"  said  the  man ;  "  the  men  in 
whom  I  confided  betrayed  me.  They  were  rich.  They 
were  titled.  They  were  men  known  throughout  the 
world.  They  examined  my  data.  They  took  from  me 
all  the  knowledge  with  which  I  was  possessed.  They 
mastered  the  pinciples  that  by  years  of  patient  inves- 
tigation I  had  discovered,  and  then  "  — 

"  What  did  they  do  then  ?  "  said  the  girl. 

"They  published  them  as  their  own  discoveries," 
said  the  man,  "  they  stole  my  knowledge,  and  gave  me 
no  credit.  They  appropriated  the  honor  that  belonged 
to  me.  They  never  even  gave  me  an  honorable 


416  ADIRONDACK  TALES. 

mention  in  their  reports."  He  said  this  with  a  vibra- 
tion of  bitterness  in  his  voice  ;  with  the  emphasis  of  a 
man  who  feels  that  he  has  been  greatly  wronged,  and 
yet  with  the  sadness,  too,  of  one  who  feels  that  the 
wrong  will  never  be  righted,  and  that  the  injury  done 
him  is  irreparable. 

"They  were  vagabonds,""  said  the  Trapper;  "yis, 
they  were  nateral  thieves.  They  was  no  better  than 
the  half-breeds  that  steal  the  skins  from  another  man's 
trap,  though  his  name  be  cut  into  the  iron  as  plain  as  a 
file  can  do  it.  I  trust  ye  ambushed  them  in  their 
thievin',  friend,  and  squared  accounts  with  'em  afore  ye 
took  up  the  line  and  left  the  country." 

"John  Norton,"  responded  the  man,  "it  is  little  that 
a  poor  man  can  do  against  a  rich  man ;  or  that  a  lowly 
one  can  do  against  them  that  are  in  high  places.  It 
was  a  theft  that  I  could  not  indict  at  the  law.  The 
property  they  stole  from  me  was  not  that  of  money 
and  lands,  but  of  honor,  of  reputation,  and  of  credit 
for  having  served  the  age  and  advanced  it  in  intelli- 
gence and  power.  If  I  applied  for  membership  to 
their  society,  they  would  not  admit  me.  If  I  called  at 
their  studies,  I  could  get  no  audience.  I  went  to  the 
editors  of  the  great  journals,  and  they  looked  upon  me 
as  crazy.  I  was  poor,  and  they  who  had  stolen  my 
knowledge  were  rich.  I  was  unknown,  and  they  were 
honored.  I  was  alone,  and  they  were  a  part  of  a 
system.  What  could  I  do,  —  one  against  the  many  ?" 

"They  had  the  best  on  ye,  fur  sartin,"  said  the 
Trapper.  "  Yis,  the  sneaks  had  the  best  on  ye ;  but  I'd 


THE  STORY  OF  THE  MAN  WHO  MISSED  IT.      417 

have  warmed  'em  in  some  way,  ef  I  had  been  in  yer 
place,  afore  I  was  done  with  the  rogues." 

"  It  was  not  a  case,  John  Norton,  in  which  physical 
force  or  human  courage  could  win  the  fight.  I  had  as- 
certained scientific  facts  of  the  utmost  import.  But  they 
had  been  stolen  from  me  by  those  whom  the  people 
honored,  and  why  should  the  people  believe  a  man  with- 
out money,  without  title,  without  friends,  when  over 
against  him  are  the  honored  and  the  great  ?  But  it 
makes  little  difference,"  said  the  man  sadly.  "  I  shall 
get  my  reward  by  and  by,  perhaps." 

"  Friend,"  said  the  Trapper,  "  the  Scriptur'  says  that 
the  Lord  will  appint  a  day  in  which  the  vagabonds  and 
them  that  have  done  evil  on  the  arth  will  git  a  gineral 
overhaulin* ;  and  the  idee  is  sartinly  a  reasonable  one. 
Now,  when  that  day  comes,  don't  ye  fail,  friend,  to  be 
on  hand,  and  do  ye  put  in  yer  case  as  strongly  as  ye 
can  when  the  matter  of  their  cheatin'  comes  up.  Ye'll 
find  me  somewhere  in  the  crowd,  for  I've  got  one  or 
two  things  that  will  have  to  be  attended  to  myself :  not 
matters  of  any  great  weight,  fur  I  have  ginerally  kept 
the  account  pretty  well  squared  as  I  went  along ;  but 
there  is  a  sneak  of  a  half-breed  up  on  the  Canada  Line, 
nigh  the  head  waters  of  the  St.  Regis,  that's  got  two 
good  pelts  that  belong  to  me,  ef  there  is  any  ownership 
in  trappin';  and  his  case  will  sartinly  come  up  in  the 
Jedgment,  onless  I  can  manage  to  git  time  to  take  a  joftr- 
ney  to  the  north  eend  of  the  woods  once  more.  And  ef 
I  do,  the  Lord  needn't  pay  any  special  attention  to  him, 
for  I  know  the  pints  of  the  case,  and  I  have  a  pritty 


418  ADIRONDACK  TALES. 

good  idee  of  sech  matters.  And  ef  I  can  git  up  to  the 
Canada  Line,  and  the  vagabond  hasn't  moved  out  of 
the  country,  I'll  settle  the  matter  in  a  jedicious  man- 
ner. But  I  sartinly  advise  ye  to  be  on  hand  at  the 
Jedgment,  and  make  them  rogues  give  back  what  they 
stole  from  ye.  And  ef  ye  git  into  a  little  discussion  over 
the  matter,  and  ye  want  any  help,  —  ye  see,  ye  bein' 
one  and  they  bein'  several, —  ef  they  should  git  noisy, 
"  ye  might  want  a  leetle  help,"  —  and  the  old  man  moved 
his  chair  a  trifle  towards  his  guest  in  the  simple  earnest- 
ness of  his  confidential  tender  of  assistance. 

"  I  don't  see,"  said  the  girl,  "  what  good  a  scientific 
reputation  will  do  one  in  heaven." 

"  Hoot !  "  said  the  Trapper ;  "  Magnet,  ye  don't  under- 
stand these  things.  A  man's  reputation  is  his  reputa- 
tion, wherever  he  be,  as  I  conceit ;  and  it  goes  with 
him  as  the  skin  goes  with  the  duck,  whether  he  dives 
or  flies.  Friend,  don't  ye  mind  what  the  girl  says,  fur 
she  be  a  girl ;  but  ye  jest  stand  up  fur  yer  rights ;  and 
ef  ye  want  any  help,  as  I  was  say  in',  any  man  to  swear 
ye  are  right  in  yer  charges,  or  to  put  in  a  few  licks 
arter  the  vardict  is  given."  — 

"But,  John  Norton,"  said  the  girl,  interrupting  him, 
"  you  don't  suppose  that  we  are  going  to  have  bodies 
in  heaven,  do  you?" 

"  Bodies !  of  course  I  do,"  said  the  Trapper.  "  Lord, 
Magnet!  how  is  a  man  goin'  to  git  along  without  a 
body  ?  Why,  we  couldn't  see  each  other  ef  we  hadn't 
bodies." 

"  But,  John  Norton,"  said  the  girl,  again  in  her  ear- 


THE  STORY  OF  THE  MAN  WHO  MISSED  IT.      419 

nestness  interrupting  him,  "  if  we  do  have  bodies,  they 
won't  be  at  all  like  these,  but  a  great  deal  better." 

"  Better  ! "  returned  the  Trapper ;  "  there  can't  be  a 
better  body,  Magnet,  than  this  un.  Why,  I've  lived 
nigh  on  to  eighty  year,  and  I  never  knowed  a  pain  in 
my  life,  nor  an  ache,  save  sech  as  a  man  gits  in  a  scrim- 
mage or  in  battle,  or  sech  as  he  has  in  his  stomach 
when  meat  is  scarce  and  he  is  onnaterally  hungry.  Ye 
see,  I  know  what  I'm  talkin'  about,  Magnet.  A  man 
who  talks  from  an  experience  of  eighty  year  isn't 
guessin'  at  the  thing.  No,  no,  the  Lord  can't  make  a 
better  body  than  he  gin  me  at  birth ;  leastwise,  I'll  be 
parfectly  contented  ef  he'll  give  me  another  as  good 
as  this  has  been,  and  keep  it  runnin'  forever." 

The  man  had  listened,  apparently,  with  a  good  deal 
of  interest  to  the  conversation,  for  the  girl's  animation 
and  the  old  Trapper's  earnestness  were  amusing ;  but 
when  the  Trapper  had  closed  with  the  sententious 
opinion  touching  the  perfection  of  the  mortal  body, 
The  Man  Who  had  Missed  It,  joined  in  the  conversa- 
tion, or,  rather,  continued  his  narrative :  — 

"  I  was  a  good  deal  cast  down,"  he  said,  "  for  a  time 
after  I  was  cheated  of  the  credit  which  belonged  to  me 
in  the  matter  of  which  I  was  speaking ;  but  though 
they  could  steal  the  results  of  past  study,  they  could 
not  steal  the  investigating  quality  of  my  mind.  Knowl- 
edge remained  with  me,  and  out  of  the  knowledge  I 
had  gained  sprang  other  knowledge,  and  the  line  of  my 
previous  study  led  me  to  another  and  more  important 
discovery." 


420  ADIRONDACK  TALES. 

"  What  was  it  ?  "  said  Tom,  speaking  for  the  first 
time,  but  who  had  listened  as  one  greatly  interested. 
"  What  was  your  next  discovery  ?  " 

"  I  had  discovered  the  laws  which  govern  the  move- 
ment of  storms ;  I  next  discovered  the  cause  of  storms 
itself." 

"  I  beg  you  to  explain  it,"  said  the  young  man.  "  I 
have  been  something  of  a  natural  student  myself,  and 
the  physical  sciences  have  been  my  delight." 

"  I  am  glad  to  meet  you,  sir,"  said  the  man,  speaking 
with  animation.  "  I  am  glad  to  meet  one  who  can  enter 
sympathetically  into  the  labors  of  my  life,  and  who  can 
appreciate,  therefore,  the  losses  I  have  met ; "  and  the 
man  turned  his  chair  until  he  sat  facing  the  young 
man,  and  addressed  his  explanation  directly  to  him. 

"  I  discovered,  as  I  have  told  you,  the  movement  of 
storms.  I  found  that  it  was  rotary,  and  that  they 
moved  with  various  degrees  of  rapidity.  I  knew  that 
if  I  could  command  telegraphic  communication,  the  ap- 
proach of  a  storm  might  be  known  days  before  it  would 
come ;  and  the  commerce  of  the  country  could  be  gov- 
erned self-protectingly  by  the  knowledge.  And  it  took 
me  years  of  patient  examination  before  the  cause  of 
storms  was  revealed  to  me ;  but  at  last  I  found  it." 

"What  did  you  find  it  to  be?"  asked  the  young 
man. 

"  I  will  explain  it  to  you,"  responded  the  man.  "  It 
is  this :  the  origin  of  all  storms  is  found  in  heat. 
Heat  comes  from  the  sun  and  the  planets.  When  these 
sources  of  heat  are  brought  in  conjunction  above  any 


THE  STORY  OF  THE  MAN  WHO  MISSED  IT.      421 

special  area  of  the  earth's  surface,  that  area  is  subject 
to  unusual  heat ;  the  atmosphere  resting  above  that 
area  becomes  exceptionally  rarified  and  rises  upward. 
This  makes  an  atmospheric  vacuum,  and  a  rapid  move- 
ment of  air  occurs,  —  the  outward  atmosphere  rushing 
tumultuously  in  towards  the  centre  of  the  vacuum ;  — 
thus  storms,  tempests,  and  tornadoes  are  caused. 

''  Granted,  therefore,"  continued  the  man,  speaking 
with  great  rapidity  and  earnestness,  "  a  certain  plane- 
tary conjunction  above  a  certain  area  of  territory,  at 
a  certain  time,  and  at  that  time  within  that  area  of 
territory,  a  storm,  of  greater  or  less  violence  according 
to  the  degree  of  the  heat  thus  localized,  is  sure  to  occur. 
Do  you  follow  my  explanation  ?  " 

"  I  do,"  said  the  young  man,  speaking  with  anima- 
tion ;  "  I  follow  it  perfectly  ;  and  it  is  not  only  novel, 
but  it  is  startling.  If  storms  orginate  in  heat,  and 
the  heat  orginates  in  planetary  conjunction,  and  the 
planetary  movements  which  result  in  the  conjunction 
are  astronomically  known,  why,"  and  the  young  man 
hesitated  a  moment,  while  his  eyes  fairly  shone  with 
the  intensity  of  thought  which  had  flashed  upon  him, 
"why  cannot  storms  be  predicted  as  certainly  as  an 
eclipse  ?  " 

"  They  can  be,"  said  the  Man  Who  had  Missed  It. 
"  I  can  predict  a  storm  a  thousand  years  before  it  will 
come." 

"  Friends,"  said  the  Trapper,  "  suppose  ye  fetch  up 
a  minit  at  that  pint.  Ye  are  pushin'  the  trail  a 
leetle  too  fast  to  make  all  the  blazes  plain,  leastwise, 


422  ADIRONDACK  TALES. 

on  both  sides  of  the  tree.  And  ef  ye  ain't  keerful, 
ye'll  git  furder  into  the  swamp  than  ye'll  find  yer  way 
out  of  without  a  good  deal  of  hollerin'.  Now,  Magnet 
and  me  have  been  payin'  pritty  close  attention  to  what 
ye  have  been  sayin',  and  it  may  be  that  storms  do  go 
whirlin'  round ;  fur  I've  seed  the  leetle  wind-puffs  spin 
themselves  acrost  the  lake,  and  ye  can't  live  in  the 
woods  a  month  in  the  fall  and  not  see  the  winds  play 
their  whirligigs  with  the  leaves.  And  ef  it's  true  with 
the  leetle  puffs,  I  conceit  it  may  be  true  with  the  big  uns. 
And  it  may  be  that  storms  do  move  in  the  way  ye  say, 
—  though,  arter  my  way  of  thinkin',  they  can't  be  re- 
lied on  to  move  any  way  in  particular,  fur  storms  have 
their  notions  and  be  a  good  deal  like  a  woman  with  too 
many  idees  in  her  head  and  a  leetle  over-arnest  in  her 
feelin's,  —  ye  can't  always  tell  which  way  ye'll  find 
her. 

"I  ax  yer  pardin,  Magnet,"  said  the  old  Trapper, 
speaking  to  the  girl,  who  had  interrupted  him  with  a 
clear  peal  of  laughter.  "  I  ax  yer  pardin',  Magnet,  ef 
what  I've  said  about  the  onsartinty  of  wimmin's 
ways  seem  onkind  to  ye ;  but  I've  watched  'em  a  good 
deal  off  and  on  in  my  guidin'  and  in  my  trips  to  the 
settlements,  and  I've  come  to  the  opinion  that  wimmin 
be  a  good  deal  onsartin.  Ye  can't  prophesy  over  night 
how  they  are  goin'  to  feel  next  day.  Not  that  I  con- 
ceit that  that's  anything  agin  'em,  Magnet,  fur  the 
prittiest  things  in  natur'  be  the  things  that  change 
oftenest;  and  there's  nothing  prittier  than  to  see  a 
woman  change  her  mind  over  night,  'specially  ef  she 


THE  STORY  OF  THE  MAN   WHO  MISSED  IT.     423 

was  on  the  wrong  side  of  the  question  when  she  went 
to  bed.  But,  friend,  as  to  yer  prophesyin'  about  the 
comin'  of  a  storm  a  year  or  two  afore  it  comes," 

"  I  said  a  thousand  years,  John  Norton.  I  can  predict 
the  coming  of  a  storm  a  thousand  years  before  it  comes." 

"  A  thousand  year ! "  exclaimed  the  Trapper. 
"  That's  eenamost  as  long  as  etarnity.  Yis,  yis,"  said 
the  Trapper,  while  an  inexpressibly  quizzical  look  came 
into  his  countenance,  a  I  dare  say  ye  can  prophesy  it ; 
but  I  don't  conceit  the  storm  will  come  any  more  fur 
yer  prophesyin'." 

"  Did  you  ever  see  an  eclipse,  John  Norton  ?  "  asked 
the  man. 

"  Sartin,"  responded  the  Trapper ;  "  there  was  one 
year  afore  the  last.  Me  and  the  boys  was  campin'  on 
the  Raquette  that  summer,  and  a  big  un  it  was  too. 
For  the  sun  was  blackened  at  noon-day,  and  the  stars 
came  out  eight  hours  afore  they  oughter ;  and  the 
arth  looked  as  ef  it  had  gone  to  a  funeral,  and  every- 
thing was  dreadfully  solemn.  I  didn't  mind  much 
about  it,  for  I'd  seed  the  same  thing  afore,  and  I  be  a 
Christian  man ;  and  I  knowed  the  Lord  wouldn't  wind 
things  up  in  sech  a  sudden  way ;  but  there  was  a  half- 
breed  in  the  camp  that  conceited  that  the  eend  of  the 
world  had  come ;  and  as  I  knowed  he  hadn't  lived  as 
he  ought  ter  have  lived,  I  didn't  discourage  the  idee ; 
but  sorter  helped  it  on  a  leetle  with  some  jedicious 
talk  in'  that  pinted  in  that  direction;  fur  I  conceited 
that  a  good  scare  might  make  him  a  leetle  more  honest : 
and  I  suspected  he'd  handled  one  or  two  of  my  traps  a 


424  ADIRONDACK  TALES. 

leetle  loosely  the  fall  afore,  and  might  do  it  agin  ef 
he  wasn't  edicated  out  of  his  thievin'  notions.  So  I 
called  the  boys  around  me  and  whistled  up  the  pups, 
who  was  a  good  deal  skeered  themselves,  and  jest  told 
the  boys  that  we'd  better  throw  the  powder  into  the 
lake,  for  the  fire  would  bust  out  pritty  soon,  and  every- 
thing would  be  blazin'.  And  then  I  told  the  pups 
they'd  better  take  to  the  water  afore  they  got  singed ; 
—  ye  see,  the  boys  took  the  hint  of  the  thing,  and 
Henry  helped  me  out  a  good  deal.  Fur  he  said  that 
there  wasn't  much  use  to  move  the  horns  or  the  pups, 
for  the  flames  wouldn't  come  leetle  by  leetle,  but  that 
the  island  would  be  blowed  up  a  thousand  feet  into  the 
air  all  at  once ;  but  that  the  good  would  be  carried 
away  by  the  angels.  But  ef  a  man  had  been  a  thief 
and  had  stolen  anything ;  ef  it  wasn't  anything  more 
than  an  empty  horn  or  a  rnuskrat-skin,  the  angels 
wouldn't  tech  him  with  their  leetle  finger;  but  he'd 
have  to  stay  and  take  it,  onless  he  owned  up  —  and  the 
boy  put  a  good  deal  of  arnestness  into  the  words  '  owned 
up ; '  "  and  the  old  man,  thoroughly  tickled  at  the  mem- 
ory of  the  ruse  that  they  had  played  on  the  half-breed, 
stopped  in  his  narration  and  laughed  with  a  heartiness 
that  watered  his  eyes.  It  was  one  of  those  exhibitions 
of  laughter  that  is  contagious;  and  even  The  Man 
Who  had  Missed  It,  moved  by  the  hilarity  of  it, 
joined  with  the  two  younger  people  in  the  explosions 
that  followed. 

"What  effect  did  it  have  on  the  half-breed ?"  asked 
the  girl,  when  the  laughter  had  partially  subsided. 


THE  STORY  OF  THE  MAN   WHO  MISSED  IT.      425 

"Well,  ye  see,"  said  the  Trapper,  wiping  his  eyes 
with  the  sleeve  of  his  coat,  "  the  vagabond  was  igno- 
rant and  wicked  both;  and  he  sartinly  thought  the 
jedgmeiit  had  come,  and  he  owned  up  to  a  string  of 
pilferin'  a  good  deal  wuss  than  I  had  suspected  him  of ; 
fur  to  start  with  he  had  taken  six  minkskins  from  me. 
I  axed  him  ef  he  hadn't  forgot  one  or  two,  but  he 
swore  that  the  six  was  every  blessed  one  he'd  taken. 

"  Then  he'd  pilfered  a  sack  of  salt  from  a  trapper 
on  Deadwood  and  a  box  of  sugar  from  a  party  on  Little 
Wolf ;  but  I  told  him  I  didn't  think  the  Lord  would 
make  any  special  count  of  the  sugar,  onless  it  was 
better  than  most  of  the  pedlers  brought  in  from  the 
settlements.  But  Henry  said  it  was  jest  as  bad  to 
steal  sand  as  it  was  to  steal  sugar ;  and  as  it  helped 
the  man  towards  righteousness,  I  didn't  gainsay  it  at 
the  time,  but  I  argered  the  pint  with  Henry  arter- 
wards ;  and  I  made  him  own  up  that  it  wasn't  reason- 
able to  hold  even  a  vagabond  to  quite  as  close  a  reck- 
onin'  for  sand  as  it  was  for  raal,  fust-class  sugar." 

"What  effect  did  it  have  on  him  the  next  day?" 
asked  The  Man  Who  had  Missed  It. 

"Jest  about  as  much  effect,"  answered  the  Trapper, 
"  as  your  prophesyin'  a  storm  a  thousand  year  ahead 
would  have  on  the  storm,  as  I  conceit ;  fur  natur'  has 
her  ways,  and  ye  can't  prophesy  her  into  doin'  as  ye 
want  her  to.  And  ye  can't  frighten  a  half-breed  into 
honesty,  for,  arter  the  darkness  had  gone,  the  vagabond 
was  as  chipper  and  chirp  as  I'd  ever  seed  him ;  and  I 
lost  more  skins  the  next  fall  on  the  line  that  led  past 


426  ADIRONDACK  TALES. 

his  clearin*  than  I  had  ever  lost  afore  on  any  one  line 
in  my  life.  For  though  a  scare  will  make  a  thief 
shake  for  a  minit,  yit  it  can't  make  an  honest  man 
of  him  ;  and  when  the  fright  is  over,  ef  he  was  a  thief 
at  the  start,  he'll  be  a  thief  still." 


TffE  STORY  OF  THE  MAN  WHO  MISSED  IT.      427 


CHAPTER 

No  one  disputed  the  Trapper's  conclusion ;  and  after 
a  moment  of  respectful  waiting,  as  if  to  make  sure  that 
the  Trapper  had  completed  his  remarks,  The  Man  Who 
had  Missed  It,  again  resumed  his  narration.  But  the 
animation  with  which  he  had  told  his  discovery  had 
faded  away.  The  light  had  left  his  eyes,  and  a  sober 
expression  possessed  them.  The  play  of  features  had 
departed,  and  his  countenance  had  settled  into  sadness. 
His  face,  as  revealed  by  the  firelight,  was  one  to  com- 
mand the  respect  of  the  gazer ;  for  it  suggested  the  re- 
finement of  thought  and  of  scholarly  habits;  and  at 
the  same  time  it  appealed  to  one's  sense  of  pity,  because 
over  it  disappointment,  like  a  cloud,  had  thrown  its 
sombre  shadow. 

The  three  who  sat  gazing  at  him  felt  that  in  him  they 
beheld  a  person  who  had  been  the  sport  of  a  fickle  and 
cruel  fortune,  —  felt  that  his  lot  was  inscrutable ;  and 
that  in  the  wreck  of  his  body  and  in  the  permanent 
hopelessness  in  which  his  spirit  was  plunged,  and  per- 
haps in  which  it  rested,  they  saw  the  most  pitiable  of 
failures  —  a  failure  for  which  the  man  himself  was  not 
responsible ;  for  by  no  fault  of  his  did  it  come,  and  by 
no  virtue  of  his,  however  exerted,  could  he  have  been 
delivered  from  it. 

"It  is  needless   for  me,"  said  the  man  at  length, 


428  ADIRONDACK  TALES. 

"  to  narrate  the  countless  disappointments  of  my  life. 
It  is  needless  for  me  to  say  how  many  things  I  have 
attempted,  or  how  many  things  I  have  achieved,  so  far 
as  mortal  power  could  achieve  them,  or  how  many  times 
a  power  stronger  than  my  own  —  a  power  outside  of  my- 
self, —  the  power  of  wicked  men,  the  power  of  circum- 
stance, and  the  power  of  society,  which  I  strove  to  serve, 
but  which  seemed  banded  against  me,  —  has  dashed  the 
cup  of  success,  when  brimming  full,  from  my  lips.  My 
discoveries  have  been  appropriated  by  others.  And  I 
who  was  upheld  through  the  long  nights  of  study  and 
the  long  days  of  effort,  in  which  I  robbed  my  body  of 
food  that  I  might  have  the  means  to  buy  the  little 
materials  for  my  experiments,  by  the  hope  that  I  might 
link  my  name  with  scholarly  achievements  and  be  re- 
membered among  the  honored  when  I  was  gone,  have 
lived  to  see  the  results  of  my  toil  and  sacrifice  appro- 
priated by  those  who  robbed  me,  and  the  honors  which 
should  have  been  mine  given  to  other  men. 

"  I  have  not  only  discovered  laws  and  principles  and 
forces  of  nature  that  were  unknown,  but  I  have  made 
inventions  of  the  greatest  value  to  mankind,  by  which 
they  have  been  better  clothed  and  fed  and  ministered 
unto  in  that  which  makes  life  happy,  —  inventions  that 
have  been  stolen  from  me  by  corporations  that  have 
built  fortunes  on  the  patents  they  secured  from  the  re- 
sults of  my  ingenuity ;  patents  which  should  be  in  my 
name  and  not  theirs,  and  whose  income  would  have 
made  me  rank  among  the  richest  of  the  land.  And 
here  I  am,  after  thirty  years  of  ceaseless  effort,  and 


THE  STORY  OF  THE  MAN  WHO  MISSED  IT.      429 

fifty  of  life,  broken  in  body,  weakened  in  mind,  hope- 
less in  spirit,  without  friends,  and  without  a  home,  — 
a  beggar  on  your  bounty,  John  Norton,  with  no  com- 
panion in  life,  and  no  one  to  mourn  me  when  I  die  but 
this  dog."  And  the  man  looked  into  the  face  of  the 
Trapper  and  placed  his  hand  on  Lucky's  head,  who 
stood  with  his  forefeet  on  his  master's  knee,  lookincr 

7  O 

with  his  bright  eyes  into  his  countenance. 

"Ye  shouldn't  feel  in  that  way,  friend,"  said  the 
Trapper.  "  It  is  true  we  haven't  consorted  long  together; 
but  we  understand  each  other  pritty  well,  as  I  conceit ; 
and  though  ye  have  some  notions  about  storms  and  a 
•few  sech  things  that  we  can't  exactly  agree  on,  yit  the 
trail  we  be  both  followin'  lies  in  the  same  direction, 
and  though  I  can't  offer  ye  a  home  sech  as  they  might 
in  the  settlements,  yit  the  cabin  is  a  good  un,  and  while 
the  jints  of  the  loggin'  hold  together,  and  the  shingles 
shed  water  overhead,  ye  be  welcome  to  stay.  And 
the  Lord  of  marcy  will  sartinly  see  to  it,  friend,  that 
we  suffer  fur  no  comfort,  and  that  we  come  to  the  edge 
of  the  Great  Clearin'  in  peace." 

"You  are  a  noble  man,  John  Norton,"  answered  his 
guest,  "and  I  know  that  the  welcome  that  you  have 
given  the  homeless  is  sincere.  I  thank  you  from  the 
bottom  of  my  heart  for  your  kindness.  Had  the  men 
with  whom  I  have  dealt  possessed  your  spirit,  I  should 
not  have  been  where  I  am  or  as  I  am ;  but  what  is  ahead 
I  know  not.  I  feel  that  the  trail,  as  you  call  it,  is  not 
a  long  one  for  me ;  and  that  should  I  accept  your  hospi- 
tality, my  presence  would  not  burden  it  long.  I  came 


430  ADIRONDACK  TALES. 

into  the  wilderness  to  die,  and  out  of  the  wilderness  I 
shall  not  go.  For  of  cities  and  men  I  have  seen  enough." 

"  Ye're  right  there,  friend,"  said  the  Trapper ;  "  the 
settlements  be  sartinly  no  place  for  a  sensible  man  to 
live.  I've  often  argued  the  pint  with  Henry,  and  I 
raaly  believe  the  boy  in  his  heart  agreed  with  me, 
though  he  would  never  confess  it.  He  says  the  wilder- 
ness is  the  place  to  rest  and  the  settlements  the  place 
to  work.  And  he  says  a  great  many  things  about  the 
good  that  a  man  can  do  in  the  settlements,  and  the 
happiness  he  can  have  ;  but  the  boy  is  young  yit,  and 
ye  can't  expect  the  young  to  be  wise  like  their  elders ; 
and  I  feel  sartin  that  he'll  git  round  to  my  way  oi 
thinkin'  afore  he  gits  to  be  of  my  age.  He  has  a 
nateral  taste  fur  the  woods,  and  few  be  the  signs  in  the 
arth  or  the  sky  that  the  boy  doesn't  see  ;  and  ef  ye  have 
an  eye  to  see  the  beauties  of  Natur',  and  an  ear  to  hear 
her  speech,  and  a  heart  to  learn  her  lessons,  ye  can't 
find  any  happiness  like  the  happiness  which  she  will 
give  ye,  especially  ef  yer  life  be  honest." 

The  Man  Who  had  Missed  It  listened  with  the  defer- 
ence that  was  habitual  to  him,  to  the  utterance  of  the 
Trapper.  There  was  a  look  in  his  eyes  as  he  gazed 
into  the  old  man's  face,  noble  and  peaceful  in  its 
expression  as  it  was,  as  if  he  longed  to  believe  what  he 
was  hearing,  in  the  hope  that  to  his  stormy  life  some- 
thing of  the  peace  and  the  happiness  of  which  the  old 
Trapper  spoke  might  come. 

"  It  may  be  as  you  say,  John  Norton,"  he  answered 
at  length:  "it  may  be  that  if  when  I  left  the  three 


THE  STORY  OF  THE  MAN  WHO  MISSED  IT.      431 

graves,  I  had  come  to  the  wilderness  and  made  my 
companionship  with  Nature,  educated  my  eye  to  appre- 
hend her  beauties,  my  ear  to  hear  the  wisdom  of  her 
speech,  and  opened  my  heart  —  bereaved  as  it  was — to 
the  consolation  of  her  sweet  peace,  my  life  would  have 
been  happier.  As  I  have  looked  at  you  and  seen  in 
yourself  the  result  of  the  influences  of  which  you  tell,  I 
have  felt  that  though  I  might  have  found  less,  as  men 
call  finding,  yet  I  should  have  missed  less.  Perhaps  I 
should  have  been  as  useful,  and  beyond  doubt  I  should 
have  been  happier ;  for  the  happiness  that  waits  on  toil 
is  found  in  its  reward ;  and  the  peace  which  follows 
aspiration  is  found  in  its  fulfilment.  As  for  reward,  I 
have  none ;  and  certain  it  is  that  I  shall  die  with  all  of 
my  plans  unfulfilled.  But  in  the  life  beyond  it  may  be 
I  shall  come  to  whatever  reward  I  am  worthy,  and  in 
happier  circumstances  be  able  to  work  out  the  fulfil- 
ment of  my  plans." 

"  You  spoke,"  said  Tom,  suddenly  joining  the  conver- 
sation, "  of  being  cheated  out  of  patents  that  belonged 
to  you.  I  do  not  see  how  they  could  have  cheated  you 
of  the  fruits  of  your  inventions  if  you  had  been  on  the 
lookout,  and  ordinarily  shrewd." 

"  I  do  not  think  that  I  am  ordinarily  shrewd,"  said 
The  Man  Who  had  Missed  It,  "at  least,  in  protecting 
myself  from  the  schemes  of  cunning  men.  I  have 
studied  principles  rather  than  men,  and  the  applica- 
tion of  principles.  And  when  I  had  ascertained  a  new 
principle  and  given  it  practical  application  in  some 
invention,  I  was  so  happy  in  the  thought  of  what  I  had 


432  ADIRONDACK  TALES. 

done  — the  triumph  I  had  achieved  —  the  good  it 
would  do  in  the  world  —  that  I  explained  it  to  any  one 
that  would  hear  me ;  and  whatever  rich  man  told  me 
he  would  help  me  introduce  it  to  the  public,  I  trusted 
the  whole  matter  to  him,  not  doubting  he  would  deal 
honestly  with  me.  I  see  now  my  foolishness,"  con- 
tinued he,  "  but  I  am  not  sure  I  should  do  differently  if 
the  same  things  were  to  be  done  over  again ;  for  man's 
conduct  is  the  result  of  his  character ;  and  I  was  born 
with  gifts  few  have,  and  with  deficiencies  too,  I  rejoice 
in  feeling,  that  few  have  also." 

"The  Bible  says,"  said  Magnet,  "that  'except  ye 
become  as  little  children,  ye  cannot  enter  into  the 
kingdom  of  heaven ; '  and  I  think  the  childish  confi- 
dence and  simple  honest  trust  that  you  have  had  in 
people,  although  they  have  betrayed  it,  is  to  your  honor 
and  not  to  your  shame.  And  if  through  his  trustfulness 
they  have  stolen  from  him  his  earthly  riches,  may  it 
not  be,  John  Norton,  that  our  friend  here  has  gained 
more  than  he  has  lost  by  the  manner  in  which  he  has 
lived  ? "  and  the  girl  made  her  appeal  to  the  old  Trapper 
with  a  face  that  absolutely  shone  with  the  hopeful 
purity  of  her  thought. 

The  old  Trapper  looked  into  her  beautiful  face  for  a 
moment  with  an  expression  on  his  countenance  as  if  he 
wished  he  might  agree  with  her,  but  was  forbidden  so 
to  do  by  the  shrewd  native  sense  which  was  a  part  of 
his  very  constitution. 

"  It's  pleasant  to  hear  ye  talk,  Magnet,"  he  responded 
in  a  moment,  "  for  yer  voice  be  sweet  and  yer  heart 


THE  STORY  OF  THE  MAN  WHO  MISSED  IT.      433 

pure,  but  I  don't  conceit  that  yer  idees  be  right.  Now, 
I  hold  that  the  wilderness  is  pritty  free  from  vaga- 
bonds, considerin'  the  number  of  folks  that  come  in 
from  the  settlements  every  year ;  but  it  won't  do  fur  a 
man  to  leave  his  traps  outside  the  cabin  in  plain  sight, 
or  piled  up  on  the  banks  of  a  stream,  onless  he  keeps 
within  range  and  doesn't  mind  the  cost  of  a  charge  of 
powder  now  and  then.  I  don't  mean  to  say,  Magnet, 
that  I  would  actally  shoot  a  man  fur  stealin'  a  trap, 
leastwise,  ef  it  was  his  fust  theft  and  the  trap  was  an 
old  un ;  but  a  leetle  powder  jediciously  barnt,  and  a 
leetle  lead  sent  nigh  enough  to  start  a  button  and  ease 
the  waistcoat  a  leetle,  or  sort  of  tickle  the  flesh,  I  have 
found  calcerlated  to  help  a  man  in  his  rights  and  give 
the  vagabonds  a  healthy  idee  of  law.  Now,  here's  yer 
brother  that  has  studied  law  and  knows  all  its  ins  and 
outs,  and  the  sarvices  it  was  meant  to  do,  as  well  as  I 
know  the  ins  and  outs  of  the  woods,  and  the  sarvice  that 
a  hound  owes  to  his  master.  And  now  I  put  it  to  yer 
brother,  ef  it  wouldn't  have  been  a  good  deal  better  ef 
our  friend  here  had  been  more  carcumspect  in  his 
dealin',  and  amid  other  diskiveries  diskivered  what 
was  his  rights,  and  stood  up  fur  'em  through  thick  and 
thin,  and  tickled  the  scamps  a  leetle  with  his  lead  when 
they  was  sneakin'  round  his  cabin,  pilferin'  his  traps 
and  rumagin'  a  leetle  loosely  among  his  pots  and  his 
kittles." 

"  I  think  so,  decidedly,"  said  the  young  man. 
think  the  law  is  made  to  protect  the  innocent  and  the 
trusting ;  those  that  are  naturally  weak,  or  too  modest 


434  ADIRONDACK  TALES. 

and  mild  to  defend  themselves  without  the  law's  inter- 
vention. I  think  our  friend  here  should  have  appealed 
to  the  law ;  and  if  he  had,  he  would  have  found  that  the 
law  was  his  friend,  and  that  it  would  have  protected 
him  from  the  dishonest  and  the  unjust." 

"  It  takes  money  to  go  to  law,' '  said  the  man,  "  and 
those  who  cheated  me  were  rich  and  I  was  poor." 

"That's  it, boy,"  said  the  Trapper,  "that's  it.  Our 
friend  has  hit  the  nail  square  on  the  head  and  drove  it 
clean  through,  and  it  don't  take  half  an  eye  to  see  the 
hole  either.  It  takes  money  to  go  to  law.  A  Trapper 
I  met  last  year  down  on  Grass  River  told  me  he  went 
to  law  two  year  afore ;  and  a  lively  time  he  had  of  it 
fur  sartin." 

"  What  was  the  case  ?  "  said  Tom. 

"  Why,  ye  see,"  answered  the  Trapper,  "  he'd  been 
troubled  two  year  by  a  sneakin'  thief  on  one  of  the 
lines  he  had  run  out,  and  he  kept  losin'  skins ;  and 
finally  he  ketched  him  stealin'  a  mink ;  ketched  him  in 
the  very  act,  and  he  went  down  to  the  settlements  and 
complained  of  him.  Well,  the  sheriff  he  got  the  feller 
finally,  arter  a  month's  huntin',  and  then  the  trial  was 
put  off  another  month.  Ye  see,  the  jedge  didn't  know 
anything,  and  the  thief  had  hired  a  smart  lawyer  who 
could  twist  the  jedge  right  round  his  leetle  finger." 

"What  was  the  result  of  the  trial?"  asked  Tom. 

"  That's  jest  it,"  said  the  Trapper ;  "  there  wasn't 
any  result,  as  ye  call  it.  The  man  told  me  the  thing 
was  put  off  and  put  off  and  put  off.  Ye  see,  he  had  to 
go  sixty  odd  mile  every  time  the  trial  come  on,  and 


THE  STORY  OF  THE  MAN  WHO  MISSED  IT.      435 

every  time  it  come  on  he  had  something  to  pay ;  and 
the  man  swore  —  and  he  looked  like  an  honest  man  — 
that  it  cost  him  the  arnin's  of  a  year's  trappin'  afore 
he  got  through  with  it,  and  that  arter  all  his  fuss  he 
never  got  any  vardict  anyway.  The  thing  sorter  fell 
through,  nigh  as  I  could  git  at  it,  and  no  one  could  tell 
exactly  how.  And  when  the  man  asked  my  idees  about 
;t,  I  told  him  I  thought  the  thing  might  have  been 
managed  a  good  deal  better  than  he  managed  it ;  that 
I'd  had  several  sech  cases  myself ;  but  had  never  had 
any  actaal  trouble  in  managin'  'em,  fur  I  never  saw  a 
thief  I  couldn't  ambush  by  the  second  week  of  his 
pilferin',  and  ef  ye  once  git  yer  eye  on  a  vagabond 
when  he's  actally  handlin'  the  skins,  and  ye  be  within 
range,  and  yer  sights  be  right,  why,"  and  the  old  man 
straightened  himself  up,  took  up  a  stick  and  began  to 
poke  the  fire,  "ye  never  have  any  special  difficulty 
arter  that." 

"But,"  said  Tom,  laughing,  "that  may  be  a  very 
efficacious  way  to  deal  with  thieves  up  here  in  the 
woods ;  but  it  won't  do  down  among  us  in  the  cities. 
Our  friend  couldn't  have  protected  himself  and  his 
property  as  you  could  yourself  and  your  property  ;  for 
the  ways  of  the  woods,  as  you  say,  are  different  from 
the  ways  of  the  settlements.  But  he  could  have 
appealed  to  the  law." 

"  But  I  had  no  money,"  said  the  man. 

"It  don't  matter,"  replied  Tom.  "It  don't  matter 
whether  you  had  money  or  not.  If  you  had  a  good 
case  there  was  money  in  it,  and  any  lawyer  would  have 


436  ADIRONDACK  TALES. 

taken  it  up  and  pushed  it  through  on  a  percentage ;  and 
many  a  lawyer,  too,  would  have  done  it  without  a  per- 
centage ;  for  there  are  noble  men  in  the  profession  who 
will  not  stand  by  and  see  a  poor  man  robbed  of  the  results 
of  his  industry  or  his  genius.  I  wish  you  had  come  to 
me  with  one  of  your  cases,  and,  whether  it  was  a  thou- 
sand or  a  million  that  they  had  cheated  you  of,  they 
should  have  paid  you  every  cent  of  it,  and  you  should 
have  had  not  merely  the  honor  of  the  invention,  but 
the  money  that  it  earned  also." 

The  Man  Who  had  Missed  It  listened  to  the  young 
man  with  the  eagerness  of  a  child.  It  was  evident 
that  he  had  never  thought  it  possible  that  he,  a  poor 
man,  without  friends,  without  knowledge  of  the  law, 
and,  we  may  add,  without  knowledge  of  men,  could  be 
protected  in  his  rights.  He  had  evidently  pursued  his 
studies  and  multiplied  his  inventions  as  impelled  thereto 
by  the  irrepressible  activity  of  the  powers  that  were 
within  him,  and  had  yielded  to  his  losses  and  his  disap- 
pointments as  to  things  that  were  inevitable. 

For  a  moment  he  had  certainly  yielded  himself  to 
the  impression  produced  by  the  earnest  confidence  of 
the  speaker,  for  his  eyes  lighted,  his  face  brightened, 
and  the  change  which  hope  brings  when  it  takes  the 
place  of  despair  flushed  his  countenance.  But  in  an 
instant  the  light  faded  from  his  eye,  the  animation 
deserted  his  face,  and,  with  his  old  despondency  and, 
we  might  add,  with  his  old  weakness  too,  he  turned 
his  face  from  the  young  man,  and,  gazing  at  his  dog, 
said,  — 


THE  STORY  OF  THE  MAN  WHO  MISSED  IT.      437 

"It  is  too  late  now.  Even  Lucky  knows  it's  too 
late." 

It  was  evident  that  the  dog  did  not  accept  the  judg- 
ment of  the  master,  for  he  spun  himself  round  like  a 
top,  frisked,  trotted  in  front  of  Tom  and  gave  a  sharp, 
clear  bark,  and  then  he  took  a  swift  circle  round  the 
cabin,  and  as  he  swept  back  to  his  master's  chair 
jumped  with  such  impetuousness  between  the  Trapper's 
feet  and  the  corner  of  the  fireplace  that  he  knocked 
over  the  huge  iron  tongs,  which  fell  rattling  noisily  on 
the  hearthstone. 

"  Lord  !  "  said  the  Trapper,  laughing,  "  did  ye  ever 
see  sech  a  dog  as  that  ?  I'd  give  the  best  skin  I've  got 
to  know  fur  sartin  his  cross.  I  tell  ye,  friend,  the  dog 
be  wiser  than  ye  in  his  hopefulness.  Ef  ye  can  give 
the  boy  any  pints  by  which  he  can  git  a  twist  on  the 
vagabonds,  I'd  sartinly  give  'em.  It  may  be  ye'd  git 
yer  money  yit ;  although  what  a  man  who's  got  a  good 
cabin  to  live  in,  an  honest  companion  and  a  dog  like 
that,  wants  of  money,  I  sartinly  don't  see." 

"  I  wish  I  had  money,"  said  the  man.  "  God  only 
knows  how  I  wish  I  had  money  !  I  would  like  to 
know  how  it  makes  one  feel  to  have  once  all  the  money 
he  wants ;  money  enough  so  he  could  have  a  good  house, 
and  plenty  to  eat  and  drink  without  worrying  where  it 
would  come  from.  Money  to  buy  tools  to  work  with, 
and  chemicals  to  carry  on  experiments.  Money  to  give 
to  the  poor  and  the  homeless  and  those  who  don't  know 
their  parents  and  haven't  friends,  and  no  name  save 
such  as  they  picked  up  in  the  streets !  Money  to  give 


438  ADIRONDACK  TALES. 

away  with  your  right  hand  and  your  left,  not  letting 
the  one  know  what  the  other  gave  !  Money  to  leave 
behind  you  that  would  keep  on  giving  bread  to  the 
poor,  and  homes  to  the  homeless,  and  education  to  all 
who  crave  it  when  you  yourself  lie  in  the  grave !  None 
but  God  knows,  old  Trapper,  how  much  I  have  longed 
for  money,  that  I  might  do  these  things.  How  often 
have  I  thought  I  had  it,  and  how  many  times  have  I 
been  cheated  of  it !  " 

There  was  something  so  earnest,  so  intense,  so  nobly 
self-forgetful  in  this  outburst  that  the  three  who  heard 
it  were  profoundly  impressed. 

"  Give  the  boy  the  pints  !  Give  the  boy  the  pints !  " 
exclaimed  the  Trapper,  in  tones  as  earnest  as  if  he  was 
demanding  the  signs  of  the  trail  when  the  smoke  of 
battle  was  round  him  and  there  was  not  a  moment  to  be 
lost.  "  Yis,  give  the  boy  the  pints,  and  see  ef  he  don't 
git  a  clamp  on  them  vagabonds  that'll  make  'em  open 
their  pusses  as  a  fish  does  his  mouth  when  ye  have  him 
by  the  gills.  Lord !  I'd  eenamost  go  to  the  settlements 
myself  ef  the  boy  sent  me  word  he'd  got  a  good  twist 
on  'em.  How  much  do  they  owe  ye,  friend  ?  " 

"  There  is  one  corporation,"  answered  the  man,  "  that 
has  stolen  five  of  my  patents.  Three  of  them  it  has 
used  for  years ;  and  on  the  strength  of  those  three  its 
whole  business  is  builded.  My  royalty,  had  it  been 
honestly  paid,  couldn't  amount  to  much  less  than  a 
million." 

"  Put  it  high  enough,"  said  the  Trapper,  "  put  it 
high  enough.  I  aint  sartin  that  I  actally  git  the 


THE  STORY  OF  THE  MAN  WHO  MISSED  IT.      439 

measurement  of  yer  figgers,  but  my  advice  is  that  ef 
there's  a  least  chance  of  gittin'  it  out  of  'em,  that 
ye  put  the  figgers  high  enough.  And  ef  ye  throwed 
on  a  few  more  at  the  eend,  sort  of  loose  like,  I  don't 
conceit  it  would  be  anything  more  than  the  scamps 
desarve.  So  my  advice  is  that  ye  put  it  high 
enough." 

"  I  think  I  have,"  said  the  man ;  "  it  may  be  I  have 
put  it  twice  too  high,  but  I  know  the  corporation  is 
worth  millions,  and  its  huge  fortune  is  built  up  on  the 
basis  of  my  patents." 

"  What  have  you  to  base  your  claim  upon  ?  "  asked 
Tom,  speaking  with  a  lawyer's  accurate  coolness. 
"Have  you  any  original  papers  —  anything  to  prove 
that  you  invented  the  things  patented  ?  or  any  memo- 
randa of  contracts  touching  the  use  of  the  same  ?  " 

"  I  have  the  fac-simile  of  the  original  models," 
answered  the  man,  "  duly  stamped  with  the  date  and 
sworn  to,  and  my  own  hand  drew  the  specifica- 
tions; and  the  original  patterns  and  the  specifica- 
tions are  doubtless  in  the  Patent  Office  at  Washing- 
ton. I  have  memorandas  of  contracts  in  their  own 
handwriting ;  but  no  formal  contract,  and  no  attested 
signature." 

"Of  course,"  said  Tom,  speaking  with  deliberate 
precision,  "I  cannot  pronounce  upon  so  intricate  a 
matter  on  the  moment ;  but  I  do  not  hesitate  to  say, 
sir,  that  if  what  you  have  said  can  be  proved  in  court, 
you  have  a  good  cause  of  action,  and  a  case  can  be 
brought  against  the  corporation  with  a  fair  prospect  of 


440  ADIRONDACK  TALES. 

success.  I  will  undertake  your  case,  and  I  shall  be 
greatly  disappointed  if  you  do  not  recover  damages  to 
the  full  extent  of  any  claim  that  can  be  shown  to  a 
jury  to  be  reasonable  and  just." 

"Do  you  think  so?"  said  the  man,  and  his  face 
flushed  to  the  very  temples ;  "  do  you  think  that  I  may 
yet  live  to  have  money  to  do  the  things  I  long  to  do  ? 
May  I  hope  to  yet  live  to  enjoy  the  fruits  of  my  labor, 
young  man  ?  " 

"  I  know  ye  will !  "  said  the  Trapper,  and  he  flourished 
the  tongs  he  held  in  his  hands  in  his  earnestness. 
"  Lord,  friend,  the  scent  is  a  hot  un !  The  boy  can  run 
the  race  with  a  high  nose,  and  ef  he  be  made  of  the 
right  stuff  he'll  drive  the  buck  to  water  in  an  hour. 
"What  say  ye,  boy,  can  ye  git  the  money  ?  " 

"  I  can't  tell  for  certain,"  answered  Tom,  "  as  I  have 
said ;  but  I  think  our  friend  has  a  good  case,  if  the 
facts  be  as  he  has  explained ;  and  if  I  was  well  I'd 
start  for  the  city  to-morrow,  and  I  would  bring  the 
action  at  once." 

"  Easy,  easy,"  said  the  Trapper ;  "  we  know  where 
the  game  is,  but  ye  mustn't  start  him  till  ye  git  the 
persition.  Persition  is  everything  in  a  hunt,  and  I 
dare  say  it's  the  same  in  law.  As  fur  yer  bein'  well, 
ye  can  jest  take  that  as  settled.  There's  everything 
in  feedin',  and  ye  won't  be  here  a  week  afore  ye'll  be 
eatin'  like  a  Dutch  parson.  Ye  needn't  shake  yer  head, 
Magnet :  I've  seed  a  good  many  come  into  the  woods 
thinner  than  yer  brother  and  not  half  of  his  sperit; 
and  ef  he  isn't  fatter  by  forty  pound  afore  the  ice 


THE  STORY  OF  THE  MAN  WHO  MISSED  IT.      441 

breaks  up  in  the  rapids,  I  shall  be  mightily  disap- 
pinted.  I'll  do  the  feedin'  and  the  boy  shall  do  the 
la  win',  and  atween  us  both,  with  the  help  of  the  Lord, 
ye  shall  have  yer  money,  every  cent  of  it;  but  I 
advise  ye  to  put  the  figgers  high  enough." 


442  ADIRONDACK  TALES. 


CHAPTER   IX. 

WINTER  had  passed  and  spring  had  come.  The 
warm  South,  like  a  fair  enchantress,  had  sweetly  forced 
her  way  into  the  rigid  presence  of  the  Ice-King,  and 
persuaded  him  to  move  his  throne  to  the  far  North, 
giving  her  possession  of  his  present  kingdom.  This 
he  had  not  done  all  at  once,  or  without  many  an  ex- 
hibition of  bad  temper.  At  first  he  swore  by  all  his 
blasts  that  he  would  not  move  an  inch,  but  would  hold 
the  earth  and  all  the  streams  in  biting  bondage  for- 
ever. 

In  his  quick  rage  he  even  made  a  dash  at  her,  and 
his  icy  breath  blanched  the  roses  in  her  cheek ;  and, 
frightened  at  his  touch,  she  fled  southward,  until  she 
flung  herself,  icy  cold,  into  the  warm  Gulf  Stream. 
From  her  fervid  bath  she  rose,  with  all  the  color  in  her 
cheek  and  body  glowing.  Her  beauty  and  courage 
returned  with  the  warmth,  and  more  ardent  than  be- 
fore, floating  up  to  the  North,  again  and  again  she 
practised  her  sweet  arts.  At  last  her  charms  proved 
irresistible.  The  icy  heart  of  Winter  melted,  and,  yield- 
ing to  the  gentle  but  persistent  pressure  of  her  warm 
palms,  he  gradually,  halting  ever  and  anon  as  if  reluc- 
tant, moved  northward,  and  finally  left  his  late  realm 
to  her  sweet  sovereignty. 


THE  STORY  OF  THE  MAN  WHO  MISSED  IT.      443 

Never  did  a  kingdom  welcome  the  coming  of  a  queen 
with  greater  alacrity.  The  pines  shook  off  their  cover- 
ing of  snow  and  waved  their  branches  in  her  honor. 
The  lakes  steamed  with  fog,  under  the  cover  of  which 
the  blue  waves  fought  with  the  ice  for  liberty.  They 
flung  the  crystal  blocks  against  the  rocky  islands ;  slid 
the  great  cakes  up  the  sandy  beaches,  and  pushed  the 
floating  masses  down  toward  the  open  mouth  of  the 
outlet  which  hungrily  swallowed  them. 

The  little  streams  swelled  with  importance,  and 
rushed  ambitiously  downward,  as  if  eager  to  join  the 
battle  waged  amid  the  fog,  between  the  lakes  and  the 
ice.  The  rivers  chafed  their  bands  asunder,  and  ran 
downward  beneath  the  overhanging  pines  with  rippling 
laughter. 

The  hills  began  to  sing.  First  the  partridge  beat  his 
roll-call.  Then  sounded  the  robin's  flute.  The  hermit 
thrush  surprised  the  air  with  its  one  note  of  miraculous 
purity ;  while,  from  the  open  waters  of  the  lake,  the 
loon,  sarcastic  even  in  its  gladness,  poured  forth  its 
weird  and  mocking  call. 

One  morn  a  little  spotted  fawn  stole  timidly  out  from 
the  dark  balsam  shadows,  and  stood  a  moment  with  its 
small  hoofs  buried  deep  in  the  bright  sand ;  looked  its 
wonder  for  an  instant  from  its  clear  eyes  out  upon  the 
great  stretch  of  water,  and  then  stole  back,  frightened 
at  the  level  distance  perhaps.  The  next  morning  it 
came  again;  listened  to  the  rippling  song  that  ran 
its  thin  sound  around  the  curved  shore ;  boldly  lapped 
the  water  with  its  tongue,  and  then  frisked  bravely  in 


444  ADIRONDACK  TALES. 

circles.  Next  morn  a  dozen  of  its  kind  chased  each 
other  in  wildest  happiness  from  end  to  end  of  the 
bright  beach. 

A  few  weeks,  and  the  arbutus  flower  came  out  sweet 
as  modesty's  own  self.  Then  the  cold,  gray  maples, 
the  hard?  wiry-looking  birches,  and  the  leaden  hued 
beeches,  took  to  themselves  a  new  expression.  Their 
hard  look  softened;  their  rigid  stiffness  limbered  to 
suavity;  they  seemed  to  thicken  in  the  air.  Their 
branches  became  more  pendent ;  and  one  morning  —  a 
morning  without  a  cloud  —  the  sun  came  up  flushed 
with  determination  ;  and  to  his  ardor  the  trees  yielded 
and  welcomed  him,  with  every  bud  fully  opened  and 
every  leaf  wide  spread.  So  winter  passed,  and  spring 
came  to  the  woods. 

With  the  coming  of  spring  the  two  young  people, 
whose  presence  had  incidentally  found  its  way  into  this 
story,  departed,  —  departed  with  a  happiness  at  their 
hearts  that  only  they  know  who  have  been  delivered 
themselves,  or  have  had  their  friends  delivered,  from 
the  danger  of  death,  —  for  Tom  had  entirely  recovered 
his  health,  and  returned  to  his  city  home  and  the 
duties  of  his  profession,  strong  and  robust.  Their 
cabin,  that  the  old  Trapper  had  built  nigh  his  own, 
still  stood  with  all  the  furniture  in  it ;  and  often  during 
the  summer  that  followed  and  the  succeeding  fall 
the  old  Trapper  would  go  to  the  door,  look  into  the 
familiar  room,  and  say,  "  I  hope  the  children  be  both 
well,"  and  then  closing  the  door  again,  would  go  about 
his  duties. 


THE  STORY  6F  THE  MAN  WHO  MISSED  IT.      445 

The  young  people  departed ;  but  the  two  old  men 
remained.  The  Trapper,  to  whose  stalwart  frame  the 
coming  of  years  seemed  to  bring  no  weakness,  but  only 
a  kind  of  seasoning,  as  it  were,  each  leaving  him  a 
little  thinner  but  otherwise  apparently  unchanged,  con- 
tinued to  go  about  his  duties  with  his  habitual  alacrity, 
and  to  enjoy  his  pleasure  with  the  same  zest.  Nature 
was  a  perpetual  charm  to  him.  His  trained  eye  grew 
each  year  more  skilful  in  its  discriminating  sight. 
His  mind  opened  more  widely  with  a  growing  appre- 
hension of  her  loveliness.  In  a  hundred  ways  she  pro- 
voked his  humor  continually  to  mirth ;  and  at  the 
same  time  the  years  made  sweet  addition  to  his  native 
reverence.  So  that  he  presented  that  rarest  and  most 
beautiful  of  pictures,  —  the  picture  of  a  man  to  whose 
gravity  and  whose  laughter  time  makes  equal  addition. 

But  to  his  guest  the  passage  of  time  seemed  to  mul- 
tiply his  burdens.  He  gradually  weakened  through  the 
winter ;  and  unless  when  talking  with  Tom  in  reference 
to  the  possible  recovery  of  his  property,  he  showed 
little  interest  in  the  conversation  or  the  enjoyment 
going  on  around  him.  The  young  man  had  possessed 
himself  of  all  the  points  of  the  case,  and  at  his  de- 
parture had  left  with  his  unfortunate  client  the  assur- 
ance that  he  would  recover  from  those  who  had  cheated 
him  at  least  a  competence,  perhaps  a  fortune.  The 
old  Trapper  with  his  usual  hopeful  spirit  had  predicted 
to  the  young  people,  at  their  going,  that  what  the  win- 
ter had  done  for  the  young  lawyer,  the  summer  would 
do  for  his  client. 


446  ADIRONDACK  TALES. 

"  Ye  needn't  worry  about  the  man,"  he  had  said  to 
Tom ;  "  ye  needn't  worry  about  him  at  all.  He's  sorter 
low  sperited  now,  and  his  appetite  isn't  fust  rate ;  but 
he'll  chirk  up  when  summer  comes  and  go  to  eatin'  ; 
and  a  man  with  a  good  appetite  can't  die  onless  by  the 
Lord's  appintment  and  something  onnateral  happens. 
No,  ye  needn't  worry  about  the  man,  fur  I  shall  keep 
my  eye  on  him ;  and  ef  ye  can  only  warm  them  vaga- 
bonds that's  thieved  his  money  from  him,  and  git  the 
word  in  afore  the  snow  comes,  the  chances  be  that  he'll 
live  twenty  year  yit ;  and  twenty  year  is  a  good  bit  of 
time  ef  a  man  hasn't  anything  to  do  but  enjoy  it." 

But  in  spite  of  the  old  man's  hopefulness,  his  com- 
panion did  not  gain  in  strength  as  time  passed. 
Spring  matured  into  summer.  The  long,  warm 
August  days  came  with  their  heat  to  the  hills  and  the 
valleys,  eliciting  a  hundred  odors  from  the  sods  and 
the  trees,  —  odors  pungent  with  the  flavors  of  health  ; 
but  however  fine  their  ministry,  it  seemed  unable  to 
revive  either  his  drooping  spirits  or  give  strength  to  his 
weakened  body.  The  old  Trapper  strove  to  interest 
him  in  his  sports.  He  even  made  little  excursions  here 
and  there  by  land  and  water,  hoping  that  the  gentle 
exercise  would  beget  an  appetite,  and  fresh  scenes  would 
bring  back  the  departed  animation  to  his  spirits. 

The  Man  Who  had  Missed  It  accomodated  himself 
with  the  utmost  patience  to  the  plans  of  the  Trapper 
in  his  behalf,  and  evidently  strove  to  show  his  host 
that  he  appreciated  the  kindness  of  his  intentions. 
But  the  desired  benefit  which  the  old  Trapper  longed 


THE  STORY  OF  THE  MAN  WHO  MISSED  IT.      447 

for  was  not  experienced.  Day  by  day,  his  walk  grew 
feebler  on  the  carries,  his  steps  shorter  and  more  un- 
steady. In  the  boat  his  arms  weakened  more  and 
more  at  the  oar,  until  his  stroke  had  so  little  of  strength 
in  it  as  to  be  inefficient.  But  the  old  man  still  perse- 
vered ;  and  placing  his  guest  in  the  stern  of  the  boat, 
and  taking  the  oars  himself,  continued  to  make  little 
trips,  hither  and  yon,  for  the  entertainment  of  his 
companion. 

"  Ye  see,"  said  the  Trapper  to  himself,  "  it  won't  do 
to  let  a  low-sperited  man  stay  in  one  spot ;  ye've  got 
to  keep  him  movin',  or  he'll  git  wuss  and  wuss ;  and  ef 
a  man  keeps  gittin'  wuss  and  wuss,  somethin'  is  sartin 
to  happen;  and  I'm  detarmined  to  keep  the  man  alive 
till  he  gits  news  from  the  boy ;  fur  I  feel  sartin  it'll  be 
good  news  when  it  comes ;  and  good  news  is  the  best 
physic  in  the  world  fur  a  man  that's  down  sperited  as 
he  is." 

And  so  the  old  man  continued  with  a  most  touching 
perseverance  his  benevolent  endeavors. 

But  in  spite  of  all  his  efforts  his  guest  did  not 
improve.  It  was  evident  that  the  kindness  of  the  old 
Trapper  touched  him  deeply,  and  that  he  was  making 
every  exertion  in  his  power  to  show  his  appreciation. 
On  only  one  theme  could  the  old  Trapper  make  him 
converse  with  animation,  and  that  was  the  prospect  of 
Tom's  success  in  the  impending  lawsuit. 

"  Do  you  think  —  do  you  really  think,  John  Norton, 
that  there  is  any  hope  ? "  said  The  Man  Who  had 
Missed  It  one  day,  as  the  old  Trapper  was  rowing  him 
round  the  lake  shore. 


448  ADIRONDACK  TALES. 

"  Think  ?  "  said  the  Trapper ;  "  Lord,  friend,  I  know 
the  boy  will  git  yer  money !  Ye  see,  he's  got  right  on 
his  side,  and  that's  as  good  as  an  extra  knife  in  a 
scrimmage.  And  the  boy  is  smart;  ye  know  he's 
smart,  and  that  counts  a  good  deal  in  a  tussel,  when 
things  are  sorter  nip  and  tuck.  I  tell  ye,  friend,  I'm 
mortally  sartin  that  the  boy  has  them  vagabonds  on 
the  gridiron,  and  got  them  fairly  simmerin'  already. 
He'll  bring  ye  in  a  barrel  full  of  money  afore  the  snow 
comes." 

"  I  wish  I  could  think  so,"  said  the  man.  "  I  could 
do  a  great  deal  of  good  if  I  had  the  money ;  but  a  man 
can't  live  beyond  his  time.  You  don't  think,  John 
Norton,  that  a  man  can  live  beyond  his  time,  do  you  ?  " 

"  Well,  that  depends  a  good  deal  upon  who  fixes  the 
time,  friend,"  answered  the  Trapper.  "  I  don't  conceit 
that  a  vagabond  can  live  beyend  the  time  of  the  Lord's 
appintment,  especially  ef  he  is  actally  ketched  in  some 
open  deviltry,  and  the  man  he's  wronged  has  his  finger 
on  the  trigger  and  the  sights  be  right ;  but  ef  he  be  a 
good  man,  who  hasn't  any  traps  that  hasn't  his  name 
on  'em,  and  no  pelts  in  the  cabin  that  he  hasn't  skinned, 
I  conceit  that  the  Lord  gives  him  a  good  deal  of 
leeway,  and  makes  the  time  of  his  goin'  a  leetle  off 
and  on  like ;  fur  raal  honest  men  ain't  plenty  enough  to 
be  shet  down  on  too  sudden ;  and  I  conceit  the  Lord 
might  alter  his  mind  a  leetle  ef  there  was  actaal  reason 
fur  it." 

And  so  the  two  men  would  converse,  and  in  each 
successive  conversation  the  hopelessness  of  the  one  and 


THE  STORY  OF  THE  MAN   WHO  MISSED  IT.      449 

the  determined  cheerfulness  of  the  other  stood  in 
stronger  and  stronger  contrast. 

At  last  autumn  came,  and  the  man  in  very  feebleness, 
unable  to  accompany  the  Trapper  on  his  trips,  remained 
in  the  cabin,  having  for  his  companion  his  dog.  The 
Trapper,  while  he  continued  his  customary  application, 
shortened  the  lines  of  his  trapping  to  that  extent  that 
he  should  not  be  compelled  to  stay  out  on  the  trail 
over  night.  For  he  used  to  say  to  himself,  "  Yis,  I'll 
shorten  the  lines  this  fall  so  I  can  come  in  every  night, 
fur  I  don't  jest  like  the  looks  of  things,  fur  it  sartinly 
looks  as  ef  the  man  was  goin',  and  he  sha'n't  lack  fur 
comfort  while  he  stays,  leastwise,  ef  my  bein'  round 
will  help  him  any."  And  so  the  old  man  shortened  his 
lines,  and  every  evening  found  him  at  his  cabin  minis- 
tering to  the  wants  of  his  guest,  both  by  helpful  act  and 
cheerful  word.  But  more  than  once  when  the  old  man 
was  trailing  the  line  of  his  traps  he  would  pause,  and 
leaning  on  the  muzzle  of  his  rifle  remain  for  several 
moments  in  profound  thought,  and  his  meditation 
invariably  ended  in  the  remark,  "  I  sartinly  hope  that 
the  boy  is  warmin'  them  vagabonds,  and  that  he'll  git 
the  news  in  soon,  fur  it  looks  to  me  as  ef  the  man  was 
goin'."  And  more  than  once,  when  skinning  a  mink 
or  an  otter,  had  one  been  nigh  he  could  have  heard 
him  mutter,  as  he  worked,  "  I  hope  the  boy  will  git  the 
news  in  soon,  fur  it  sartinly  looks  as  ef  the  man  was 
goin'." 

Yes,  the  man  was  going.  Slowly  but  surely  his 
spirit  was  preparing  to  make  its  exit  from  the  body 


450  ADIRONDACK  TALES. 

which  was  unable  longer  to  minister  to  its  strength,  its 
joy,  or  its  life.  The  sun  moved  southward,  the  ice 
formed  in  thin  fringes  along  the  edges  of  the  streams  ; 
the  sands  on  the  beaches  lost  their  warmth  and  looked 
damp,  cakey,  and  cold.  For  days  at  a  time  the  rains 
fell  heavily,  washing  the  bright  leaves  from  the  trees. 
The  winds  roared,  and  moaned,  and  whistled.  The 
geese  in  great  wedge-shapes  moved  southward,  each 
wedge  guided  by  its  harsh,  unmelodious  call.  And  one 
day  in  early  November  the  leathern  clouds  swept  up 
suddenly,  filling  the  upper  dome,  smothering  the  sun, 
hiding  the  blue  sky,  and  soon  the  countless  flakes  fell 
downward ;  and  when  the  Trapper  looked  out  of  his 
door  the  next  morning  he  looked  out  upon  a  world  of 
whiteness,  and  as  he  turned  back  to  kindle  the  fire,  he 
cast  his  eyes  upon  the  face  of  his  guest  as  it  lay  weakly 
placid  on  the  pillow,  sleeping  the  sleep  of  those  who 
have  not  strength  or  wish  to  wake ;  and  as  he 
raked  the  ashes  from  the  great  brands,  the  old  man  for 
the  first  time  frankly  confessed  to  himself  that  his 
hope  was  vain,  and  he  said,  — 

"It's  no  use.  Things  have  gone  wrong  with  the 
boy.  The  man  is  goiri '." 

Still  the  man  lingered ;  and  though  he  was  very 
weak,  he  was  nevertheless  utterly  patient,  and  more 
than  once  made  feeble  attempts  to  be  even  cheerful. 
Indeed,  it  was  exceedingly  touching  to  see  the  effort 
that  he  was  making  in  his  weakness  to  appear  strong 
and  happy,  as  if  he  was  inwardly  fearful  lest  he  should 
burden  with  his  sadness  the  spirits  of  his  host. 


THE  STORY  OF  THE  MAN   WHO  MISSED  IT.      451 

The  old  Trapper  did  the  best  he  knew  to  sustain  and 
comfort  his  guest.  He  would  sit  in  the  long  evenings 
and  entertain  him  with  the  experiences  of  his  life,  both 
grave  and  mirthful,  thereby  shortening  the  otherwise 
tedious  hours  with  his  vivid  descriptions,  his  wise  say- 
ings, and  his  humorous  remarks.  It  was  a  strange 
sight,  truly,  these  two  men,  both  knowing  that  one 
was  nigh  to  the  hour  when  mortal  companionship 
should  end,  yet  neither  making  any  allusion  to  the 
approaching  event.  The  one  entertaining  the  other  as 
best  he  might  with  spirited  descriptions  of  men  and 
of  scenes  among  which  he  had  mingled,  and  of  stirring 
events  in  which  he  had  been  a  principal  actor ;  the  other 
listening  to  the  narrations  with  pleased  interest,  as  if 
he  were  not  already  at  that  point  at  which  the  scenes 
and  doings  of  this  earth  become  naught,  and  his  eyes 
were  soon  to  look  upon  scenes  invisible  to  mortal 
senses.  And  yet  perhaps  it  were  as  well  if  those  of  us 
who  are  called  upon  to  minister  to  the  elect,  the  chosen 
of  God  to  a  happier  life  than  they  had  lived  here, 
should  imitate  more  closely  than  is  our  wont  the  wis- 
dom of  the  Trapper ;  for  there  are  ministries  too  fine 
for  our  bungling  hands  to  apply,  and  there  are  mes- 
sages which  Heaven  sends  to  the  soul  too  sweet  and 
gentle  for  our  harsh  voices  to  speak  in  words.  Be 
this  as  it  may,  the  two  men  never  alluded  to  the  event 
which  both  felt  was  inevitable,  and  would  soon  occur, 
but  continued  to  impart  and  receive  entertainment  as 
man  ministers  to  man. 

But  one  evening,  —  the  Trapper  had  remained  in  and 


452  ADIRONDACK  TALES 

about  the  cabin  all  day  from  a  feeling  "  that  things 
can't  last  much  longer  in  this  way,"  as  he  said  to  him- 
self, —  one  evening  after  the  dishes  had  been  cleared 
from  the  table  and  from  the  little  stand  that  stood  by 
the  side  of  the  bed  on  which  the  Trapper's  guest  was 
lying,  and  the  old  man  had  seated  himself  in  front  of 
the  fire,  the  man  began  the  conversation  himself. 

"  John  Norton,"  he  said, "  day  after  to-morrow  will  be 
Christmas.  I  came  to  you  on  Thanksgiving  night,  and, 
as  I  have  got  to  go  away  before  Christmas  Eve  comes 
around,  I  thought  I  had  better  tell  you  of  some  things 
that  I  would  like  to  have  done  when  I  am  gone,  and 
perhaps  ask  your  advice  about  some  things.  I  suppose 
you  know  what  I  mean,  John  Norton  ?  " 

"  Yis,"  said  the  Trapper,  and  rising  from  his  chair, 
he  moved  it  up  nearer  the  bed,  and  reseated  himself 
facing  his  guest ;  "  yis,  friend,  I  know  what  ye  mean ;  " 
and  for  a  moment  the  two  men  looked  at  each  other, 
—  looked  at  each  other  calmly  as  two  spirits  might 
look  at  each  other  when  in  the  presence  of  some  emer- 
gency they  are  about  to  draw  together  in  closest  com- 
panionship. 

"  I  have  certainly  had  a  hard  time  on  the  earth ; 
have  I  not,  John  Norton  ?  " 

"  Yer  trail  has  been  all  up-hill,  friend,"  answered  the 
Trapper ;  and  he  paused  a  moment,  and  then  with  his 
eyes  still  looking  into  the  eyes  of  his  guest,  he  repeated, 
"All  up-hill,  friend." 

"  What  shall  I  find  beyond,  John  Norton?"  queried 
the  man. 


THE   STORY  OF  THE  MAN   WHO  MISSED  IT.       453 

"  Ye'll  find  it  all  level,  friend,"  said  the  Trapper. 

"  Do  you  think,"  asked  the  man  again,  "  do  you 
think  it  will  be  hard  for  me  to  die  ?  " 

"  It  will  be  easy,  friend,"  answered  the  Trapper. 

The  dog  Lucky,  who  was  lying  on  the  bed  near  his 
master's  feet,  crept  softly  up  along  the  side  of  the  body 
until  he  could  command  the  faces  of  both  speakers, 
and  as  the  dialogue  advanced  he  watched  them  alter- 
nately. 

"  Why  do  you  think  I  shall  die  easily  ? "  the  man 
asked. 

"  Ye  be  too  weak  to  die  hard,"  the  old  man  re- 
sponded. 

"Are  you  certain,  John  Norton?" 

"  I'm  sartin,"  was  the  reply. 

The  dialogue  had  been  carried  on  in  the  briefest 
possible  sentences ;  and  between  each  sentence  there 
was  a  pause.  Each  spoke  with  the  deliberation  of  a 
man  asking  and  answering  momentous  questions.  In 
a  moment  the  dialogue  proceeded  :  — 

"  I  shall  find  her  over  there,  shall  I  not  ?  "  asked  the 
man. 

"  You  will  find  her,"  was  the  sententious  response. 

"In  a  body?" 

"  In  a  body,"  was  the  answer. 

"  And  the  unknown,  those  I  have  never  seen,  John 
Norton  ?  " 

"  The  Maker  of  sight  will  give  ye  new  eyes  there, 
and  ye'll  see." 

After  this  there  was  silence.     The  man  evidently 


454  ADIRONDACK  TALES. 

was  pondering,  as  a  man  ponders  when  he  lies  on  the 
edge  of  the  Great  Unseen.  A  log  in  the  fireplace 
broke  in  the  middle  and  flamed  brilliantly.  One  of 
the  hounds  rose,  turned  round,  and  lay  down  again. 
Lucky  rubbed  his  head  in  mute  tenderness  against  the 
arm  of  his  master  that  lay  within  reach. 

Outside  the  world  was  white.  The  moon  stood  in 
the  sky.  Above  the  moon  —  what  was  there  above  the 
moon  ?  —  Heaven  ?  Perhaps. 

"  Where  shall  I  go,  old  Trapper,  when  I  go  out  of 
this  body  and  this  cabin  ?  " 

"  All  old  trails  eend  at  the  edge  of  the  Great  Clearin'. 
From  there  each  sperit  blazes  its  own  line,"  answered 
the  Trapper.  "  I  have  seed  where  a  good  many  trails 
stopped,  friend.  I  have  never  seed  the  direction  they 
took  arter  that." 

"  It  would  be  comforting  to  know  just  what  would 
happen  after  death,"  mused  the  man. 

"  Ye  never  know  what  a  sunrise  is  till  ye  see  it," 
returned  the  Trapper ;  "  it'll  be  sunrise  —  sunrise  arter 
night  —  that's  enough ; "  and  the  old  man  said  it  with 
the  reverence  of  profoundest  trust. 

The  man  toyed  with  one  of  Lucky's  ears  a  moment, 
—  looked  at  him  as  a  man  can  only  look  at  a  creature 
from  whom  he  had  received  no  pain,  but  who  has 
given  to  him  such  faith  and  love  as  belong  only  to  deep 
affection,  —  and  then  he  said,  — 

"Will  Lucky  be  there?" 

It  was  a  strange  coincidence  —  a  strange  coincidence, 
truly ;  —  but  when  the  man  asked,  "  Will  Lucky  be 


THE  STORY  OF  THE  MAN   WHO  MISSED  IT.      455 

there  ?  "  the  dog,  with  loving  tongue,  lapped  the  back 
of  his  master's  hand,  as  it  lay  against  his  muzzle. 
Looked  into  his  master's  face  and  lapped  his  hand. 
That  was  all. 

"  Yer  question  is  answered,"  said  the  Trapper. 

"  I  accept  the  answer,"  said  the  man.  "  A  creature 
of  such  intelligence  and  such  affection  cannot  die. 
Such  love  can  never  perish." 

After  this  for  several  minutes  neither  spoke.  At 
length  the  Trapper  said,  — 

"Ye  said,  friend,  ye  had  somethin'  to  tell  me, — 
some  directions  and  the  like ;  —  somethin',  perhaps,  ye 
wanted  done,  and  maybe  it's  as  well  ye  should  speak  of 
it  now.  I've  done  a  good  many  things  fur  redskin  and 
white  both  arter  they  was  gone ;  and  ef  ye  want  any- 
thin'  done,  friend,  ef  the  doin'  of  it  be  within  the 
range  of  my  gifts,  ye  have  only  to  say  it ;  fur  it  will 
be  done  accordin'  as  ye  say." 

"  Of  course,"  said  the  man,  speaking  after  a  pause, 
"  I  want  you  to  bury  my  body  after  I  have  left  it." 

"  It  shall  be  done,"  responded  the  Trapper. 

"  I  wish  you  would  bury  it  just  by  the  rock,  on  the 
bank  to  the  east,  which  commands  a  view  up  the  lake." 

"It's  a  cheerful  spot  for  a  grave,"  answered  the 
Trapper,  "  for  the  view  is  a  good  un.  And  yer  body, 
when  ye  have  left  it,  shall  be  buried  where  ye  say." 

Again  there  was  a  pause. 

"  Have  ye  any  wish,"  asked  the  Trapper,  "  as  to 
how  I  should  bury  yer  body,  arter  ye're  gone  ?  Any 
directions  about  the  sarvice,  —  any  varses  of  Scriptur' 
or  the  like  ?  " 


456  ADIRONDACK  TALES. 

"  None  at  all,"  answered  the  man;  "you  may  follow 
your  own  notions,  John  Norton.  There  will  be  but 
one  mourner;"  and  he  looked  at  his  dog. 

"  Two,"  returned  the  Trapper. 

"Thank  you,"  replied  the  man;  "  I  believe  you," 
and  he  smiled  gratefully. 

"What  about  the  dog?"  said  the  Trapper. 

The  man  hesitated  a  moment,  and  then  timidly,  "  He 
can  be  of  no  service  to  you  ?  " 

The  Trapper  understood  the  hesitation  of  his  guest, 
and  answered,  — 

"  The  dog  shall  stay  with  me  till  he  dies.  He  shall 
not  lack  for  food,  and  a  corner  of  the  hearthstone 
shall  be  his." 

"That  is  all,  I  think,"  said  the  man,  "  unless  —  but 
he  wont  get  it" 

"  I  don't  think  he  will,"  said  the  Trapper ;  "  no,  I 
don't  think  he  will ;  but  ef  he  should,  what  do  ye  wish 
done  with  it  then  ?  " 

"  I  have  thought  it  all  over,"  said  the  man.  "  I  held 
to  it  as  my  last  hope ;  but  he  would  have  sent  us 
word  before  now.  In  my  pack  you  will  find  a  paper ; 
in  it  are  written  directions.  There  will  be  nothing  to 
give,  but,  if  there  were,  the  paper  gives  it  as  I  would 
have  it  given." 

"  Is  there  anything  else,"  asked  the  Trapper. 

"Yes,"  said  the  man,  and  he  stretched  forth  his 
hand,  which  the  Trapper  met  with  his  own,  "  yes,  John 
Norton,  there  is  something  else :  the  gratitude  of  a 
dying  man,  with  a  bed  to  die  on,  because  you  have 


THE  STORY  OF  THE  MAN   WHO  MISSED  IT.      457 

given  it  to  him.  A  house  to  die  in,  because  you 
opened  its  doors  at  his  coming.  The  gratitude  of  a 
dying  man  who  owes  more  happiness  in  the  last  year  of 
his  life  than  the  world  had  given  him  in  twenty  years, 
to  you.  The  gratitude  of  a  dying  man  who  knows  his 
body  will  have  burial  by  friendly  hands,  and  not  be 
put  in  the  pauper's  corner,  by  the  cold  charity  of  those 
who  are  glad  to  get  rid  of  a  beggar.  The  God  of  the 
friendless  reward  you  abundantly,  old  Trapper,  as 
your  deeds  deserve,  and  give  you  peace  in  your  dying 
hour,  as  your  goodness  has  given  me,  and  a  friendly 
hand  to  bury  your  body  as  you,  I  know,  will  bury 


mine! 


"Amen,"  said  the  Trapper;  and  the  two  men  un- 
clasped their  hands,  the  one  turning  toward  the  fire, 
the  other  sinking  back  upon  the  pillow,  from  which  in 
his  earnestness  he  had  partially  risen. 

The  Trapper  busied  himself  for  a  few  moments  in 
mending  the  fire.  He  placed  some  large  logs  in  such 
a  way  that  they  would  hold  their  heat  during  the 
night ;  and  then,  as  he  prepared  to  go  to  his  own  bed, 
he  said, — 

"  Friend,  you  will  wake  me  ef  you  want  anythin' 
during  the  night.  A  word  will  be  enough :  I  sleep 
light." 

"  Yes,  I  will  wake  you  if  I  want  anything,"  answered 
the  man.  "  I  feel  as  if  I  should  sleep  now." 

This  was  all  that  was  said.  In  a  few  moments  the 
Trapper  stretched  himself  on  his  bed  and  fell  asleep. 
The  man  moved  himself  on  to  his  other  side,  put  his 


458  ADIRONDACK  TALES. 

hand  under  his  cheek,  and  in  a  moment  he,  too,  fell 
asleep. 

And  so  both  slept.  One  awoke  —  the  Trapper  — 
awoke  at  earliest  dawn ;  but  the  other  slept  on,  —  slept 
through  the  dawn,  and  the  day ;  slept  on  and  woke 
not  forever,  at  least,  the  eyes  of  his  body  never  opened, 
for  THE  MAN  WHO  HAD  MISSED  IT  was  gone. 

The  Trapper  awoke,  and,  stepping  to  the  bedside  of 
his  guest,  gave  one  look,  and  then  he  went  to  the  large 
chest,  took  a  piece  of  white  cloth  from  its  depths,  and 
spread  it  tenderly  over  the  sleeper's  face,  and  as  he 
turned  away  said  simply  to  himself,  — 

"  Perhaps  it  was  the  best  way." 

Christmas  Day  !  In  the  cities  the  bells  were  ringing. 
In  the  wilderness  no  motion  stirred  the  air  into  sound. 
On  the  bank  which  commanded  the  view  up  the  lake, 
near  the  rock,  was  a  grave  —  a  grave  half  filled.  At 
one  end  of  the  grave  stood  the  Trapper,  leaning  on  his 
shovel.  At  the  other  end  of  the  grave  stood  a  dog 
shivering.  Far  up  the  lake  a  runner  on  snowshoes  was 
hurrying  toward  the  north.  When  he  reached  the 
northern  shore  and  clomb  the  bank,  the  grave  was 
filled.  The  runner  took  a  letter  from  his  breast  pocket 
and  handed  to  the  Trapper.  The  Trapper  took  it, 
studied  the  address  a  moment,  and  said,  — 

"  Friend,  ye'll  find  fire  and  food  in  the  cabin." 

The  man  understood  the  command,  and  shuffled 
toward  the  house. 

The  old  man  broke  the  seal,  and  spreading  the  letter 
out  on  his  knee  studied  its  contents.  The  hand  in 


THE  STORY  OF  THE  MAN  WHO  MISSED  IT.      459 

which  it  was  written  was  none  of  the  plainest  to  eyes 
unused  to  penmanship. 

"  I  don't  git  the  run  of  all  of  it,"  said  the  old  man 
to  himself;  "but  the  boy  says  he's  got  his  case,  and 
here  is  a  figger  2  and  a  3  and  a  5,  —  yis,  that's  a  5  — 
and  the  three  ciphers  be  plain.  Two  hundred  and 
thirty-five  thousand  dollars  —  it's  a  big  sum,  no  doubt, 
—  though  I  don't  quite  git  the  size  of  the  figgers." 
And  the  old  man  looked  at  the  letter,  and  then  he 
looked  at  the  grave.  "  It's  a  big  sum  —  it's  a  big  sum," 
he  added,  as  he  turned  toward  the  cabin.  "  The  boy 
has  done  well,  but  the  news  comes  a  leetle  too  late." 

It  was  evening.  The  old  Trapper  sat  in  his  cabin 
alone.  In  his  hand  was  the  letter  the  runner  had 
brought  him.  By  dint  of  great  perseverance  he  had 
mastered  every  word  of  its  contents.  It  was  written 
in  Tom's  happiest  vein,  and  told  of  a  great  success. 
The  old  man  folded  the  letter  carefully,  laid  it  on  the 
table,  and  again  he  said,  — 

"  It  came  a  leetle  too  late ;  yis,  it  came  a  leetle  too 
late.  I'll  go  and  see  where  Lucky  is; "  and  rising  from 
his  chair,  he  put  on  his  cap  and  opened  the  door.  The 
moon  was  shining  at  its  full,  and  as  he  neared  the 
grave  he  saw  the  object  of  his  search  lying  at  full 
length  upon  it.  He  whistled  to  him,  but  he  did  not 
stir.  He  approached  and  put  his  hand  upon  the  body. 
The  dog  was  dead. 

The  old  Trapper  rose,  looked  a  moment  at  the  grave 
and  at  the  dead  dog  upon  it,  and  as  he  turned  away 
again  he  said, — 


460  ADIRONDACK  TALES. 

"  Perhaps  it  was  the  best  way." 

Perhaps  it  was. 

That  night  one  looking  through  the  window  might 
have  seen  the  old  Trapper  sitting  by  the  fire  with  a 
book  on  his  knees  —  a  large  book,  bound  with  board 
covers,  dressed  in  leather,  —  a  book  printed  with  large, 
old-fashioned  letters.  The  old  man  was  reading  aloud 
to  himself,  moving  his  finger  slowly  along  as  he  read 
the  words. 

"  It  says  here,"  he  muttered,  "  it  says  here,  '  That  to 
him  that  hath  shall  be  given.'  That's  sartinly  rational 
ef  the  man  has  behaved  himself.  But  '  That  from  him 
that  hath  not  shall  be  taken  even  that  which  he  hath.' 
That  bothers  me,"  muttered  the  Trapper.  "  I  know  it 
be  so,  for  the  grave  by  the  rock  proves  it ;  but  why  it 
be  so,  that  sartinly  bothers  me.  Perhaps  Henry  can 
tell  me  when  he  comes  in." 

THE  END. 


UC  SOUTHERN  REGIONAL  LIBRARY  FACILITY 


A     000133567     8 


